Of Swords and Claws
by Draknal
Summary: Only when you admit your own weakness can you gain strength through the help of others. Ike x Lethe
1. Swallow Your Pride

**Of Swords and Claws**

Draknal: Hey all. It's been a while since I've written something, I know. I was playing Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance a few days ago, and I thought of this pairing. There aren't too many fics out there with this coupling, so I thought I'd contribute something! Anywho, without further adieu, here is my fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or any of its characters, just the plot of this story.

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**Chapter 1: Swallow Your Pride**

"…And if we divide our strength and assault both locations simultaneously, we should be able to…" trailed on Soren, the black haired tactician of the group.

"Ike!"

Said mercenary group leader jolted his head in the direction of his friend. "What was that Soren?"

The Sage let out a sigh before fixing his friend with a stern gaze. "Ike, have you even been listening to what I'm saying?"

In all honesty, he hadn't. His mind had been wandering as of recent, and he had some idea why. His confrontation with the Black Knight was drawing closer. He could feel it. His chance to avenge his father was almost upon him, and he didn't know if he was up to it. Willpower was one thing he had plenty of, but if the Black Knight was as strong as he had seen… then actual fighting capability was another story.

"Sorry Soren, I've just been kind of distracted lately. I'll pay attention this time, promise," came the blue haired general's response.

The caster simply shook his head in annoyance. "Ike, I don't even know why I bother sometimes… I'll go over it later. There are some things I need to attend to."

With that said, the Sage made his way out of the command tent, leaving Ike to his thoughts. Just the other day his army had faced one of Daein's Four Riders, General Petrine. She was a fierce foe to be sure.

Truthfully, that had been one of the most unorthodox battles that Ike had fought in his career. He wouldn't have guessed that such a feared and powerful general would stoop to using simple tactics like rear assaults and pitfalls. However, as simple as they were, they proved effective against his group of mercenaries.

In the end though, the dark Paladin was only a scared woman, hiding behind a façade of anger and contempt. Her dying words bothered him, and he had no clue as to why. He had struck down many a foe before in his life, but never had he been left with such a feeling of… pity?

Shaking his head to clear his train of thought, the general made his way out of the tent, hoping to go for a walk before heading off to bed.

"Ike," came the calm call of someone waiting for him outside.

What he hadn't counted on was being detained by a certain female laguz. It was odd though. Whenever Lethe addressed him it was usually in a loud or irritated fashion. Yet now she almost sounded… reserved.

Looking over to his right, Lethe was indeed waiting for him. She was leaning against a tree that sat a few feet away from the command tent. Her violet eyes were fixed on the mercenary leader.

"Is there something you need Lethe?" the blue haired boy inquired.

Pushing off from the tree, laguz seemed to hesitate for a moment. Ike was tempted to ask, 'Cat got your tongue?', but figured that the feline shape-shifter wasn't one for jokes such as that.

'Grr… why does this have to be so difficult?' the catgirl thought to herself. She remembered how the young beorc in front of her had asked her to train him to fight like a laguz. She wanted to downright deny him at first, but she decided instead to allow it.

She played it off as a free opportunity to inflict pain upon the beorc. In truth, when she had started his training, she _did _enjoy knocking the poor boy around. It wasn't until Ike had managed to land a solid hit on his trainer that she started looking at the beorc with a sense of pride. He was learning to not rely so much on his sloppy beorc style, and instead use a style of fighting that, to her memory, no beorc had learned to use effectively.

From then on, rather than training the boy for the sole purpose of beating the stuffing out of him, she was doing it to show that laguz styled fighting could be just as good, if not better, than the "superior" beorc style.

Now, however, Lethe found herself caught in a slight conundrum. For once that she could remember, she was slightly embarrassed. She was going to ask a _beorc _to teach her. Oh how her ancestors must be rolling in their graves…

Ike had the courage to ask her to train him in the laguz style of fighting, so why should this be any different for her? She was a proud laguz warrior!

And therein lies the problem. Her pride. No laguz in their right mind would _dare _ask a beorc to train them. Laguz forewent the use of beorc tools, opting to use their own naturally imbued weapons. Claws, fangs, talons… each of those things were just as deadly, if not moreso than their beorc counterparts.

Lethe had thought that this was and _should remain_ the case. That is, until the battle they had undergone the other day on the bridge. Although cats are often known for their grace, agility, and speed, they are also known for their insatiable curiosity, which could sometimes prove to be fatal.

_-Flashback-_

Taking the initiative of engaging the first group of enemies she spotted, the feline laguz dashed away from the main army without a second thought. When she drew closer to her foes, she noticed that a patch of the bridge she was going to be crossing looked slightly… different. It was as if that section of the bridge had been dug up for some reason, then hastily refilled.

The laguz didn't bother to think it through, and that would end up costing her. As she prepared to leap at her enemies, the ground below her gave out and she plummeted into a man-made pit. The shock from such a sudden fall forced her to revert to her humanoid form.

Shaking her head a few times to make her world stop spinning, the laguz looked up out of the pit to see two beorc looking down at her with predatory grins on their faces. One carried an axe while the other had a sword at his side.

"Well, looks like them sub-humans ain't too bright, are they?" the axe wielder chuckled.

The myrmidon couldn't help but throw in his opinion as well. "Yeah, and they aren't much of a threat either. Pitiful little creatures, always relying on claws to save them."

Using a feline-like grace, Lethe scaled side of the small pit in no time. Once out, she was immediately set upon by the men who had been mocking her. Unfortunately, she could not transform back into her preferred form yet. Her body was not yet prepared for the transformation again. All she could do was expertly dodge the wayward strikes of the axe and sword that were used against her.

A moment later, one of her attackers was assaulted by the blue haired general of the Crimean army. The myrmidon didn't stand a chance against Ike's skilled swordsmanship. He only managed to get in a few parries before the lord slipped past his guard and drove his blade into the man's chest.

Removing his sword, he then took the fight to the axe-man that had also been attacking Lethe. He was dispatched in a matter of moments. With his friend safe, Ike asked if she was okay, before setting out for battle once again.

_-End Flashback-_

'I was useless without my animal form…' the cat laguz growled in her mind. 'I couldn't stop beorc weapons with my fists, so I had to wait to be rescued…'

If there was one thing the laguz could not stand, it was personal weakness. This was once again where the problem was found. Without the ability to combat beorc weapons in her human form, she was weak. To _depend _on beorc weapons was also weakness. Oh, what to do?!

"Lethe…?" Ike inquired. He had noticed that the orange haired laguz was staring off into space, almost like she was lost in thought. The catgirl snapped her attention back to her commander.

"Huh?" was her clever reply.

The young beorc avenger could only chuckle to himself. He remembered that he had been in this position with Soren not too long ago. The latter talking while he drifted off into thought.

"I asked if there was something you needed," he answered.

"Well… I was wondering if you might… well, train me to use beorc weapons," she muttered.

To say that Ike was a little shocked was an understatement. This was coming from the person who despised beorc and their tools.

"You want me to what?" he asked, wanting to make sure that he had heard correctly.

"I want you to teach me to use beorc weapons…" the laguz trailed off. "But you don't have to!" she added quickly.

Looking away from the beorc she continued. "If you think it would be a waste of time or something…"

"No!" the boy answered as soon as his friend had even _suggested _such a thing. "I wouldn't mind teaching you. I was just a bit surprised is all. I thought you didn't like using beorc tools."

The feline humanoid looked indignant for a moment before turning her back to her commanding officer. "Well, I don't want to be useless when I'm not transformed. Yesterday showed me that even I have weakness that must be addressed…"

The blue haired lord took a moment to think. He could tell this was damaging to his friend's pride. If possible, he wanted to avoid that. Any time Lethe's pride was questioned or hurt, things would often turn volatile.

"Well, why don't you just use the demi-band we pick up a while ago?" he inquired.

The laguz before him snorted, "I already considered it. That thing is just way too draining. Do you have any idea how much of our strength it takes to stay in animal form for so long without having to transform back?"

In all honesty, no he didn't. "Um, I didn't think that would be a problem for laguz like you," he commented, giving his opinion on the matter.

"Relying on that beorc trinket hurts after a while," the feline laguz hissed. "It saps our strength and in turn forces our bodies to remain that way. You have _no _clue what we go through for that!"

Anger was evident in her tone. Okay, maybe trying to save her pride wasn't a good idea.

"Okay, okay! Calm down Lethe, geez. I was just making a suggestion," the beorc defended.

Said laguz only hissed in return. "So are you going to help me or not?"

"Sure, I'd be glad to help you," the blue haired boy commented with a grin. For once _he _would be the one doing the instructing. This alone gave him something to be happy about. "We can start the training first thing tomorrow. I'm a bit worn out right now."

"Hmph. Fine." With nothing else needing to be said, the feline laguz turned and went off to find something to occupy herself with.

Ike could have sworn that he heard the female mutter something under her breath along the lines of, 'Weak beorc, needing rest...'

Looking up at the night sky, the swordsman realized that it was too late to go for a walk now. He was better off just heading to bed and getting some well-deserved rest. And so he did.

o-o-O-o-o

As he had intended, Ike awoke early the next morning, well before the other troops. What he _hadn't _expected though, was to sit up and come face to face with Lethe. He sat for a moment, gazing into her violet orbs. He hadn't really noticed before, but her eyes _did _indeed have pupils, which were slits of dark purple. Perhaps it was because of how easily the colors mixed together that he didn't notice before. That certainly cleared up a misconception he had been making for a while.

Putting that aside, he cleared his throat with an 'ahem'.

"About time you woke up. Sheesh, what a lazy beorc. You say that you'll start training early in the morning, and here you are sleeping while the sun is already up," the laguz chastised.

"I guess I was just really tired after yesterday. Sorry," he offered apologetically. "Um… how long have you been sitting there?"

The feline humanoid looked away for a moment, her ears twitching. "Only for a few minutes. I was wondering if you would be able to sense my presence. You're worse at detecting stealthy enemies than I gave you credit for."

"We have sentries for a reason you know," Ike mumbled as he stood up and stretched, the tenseness in his muscles leaving him. "We're ready for an attack from enemies, but you're one of our allies. We have nothing to worry about."

With a 'hmph', the orange haired laguz focused her calculating eyes on the commander. "That sort of thinking can get you killed you know. In times of war you can never be too careful."

The mercenary leader raised an eyebrow at that. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind in the future. Guess that means I should be more careful around you, huh?" he inquired as he strapped on his shoulder armor and clipped his sword to his belt.

The laguz narrowed her eyes, but passed off the beorc's comment as sarcasm. "Well if you are done gathering your beorc tools, then let's go before we waste too much time."

The mercenary leader nodded, before making his way out of the tent, his laguz companion at his heels. He decided that it would be a good idea to snag a few items first, so he made a quick stop at the equipment tent. With his newly acquired bundle, he once again set out with Lethe. Ike informed a sentry where they were going, so no one would question or become worried over their absence.

Finding a suitable clearing a good distance from their camp, the mercenary leader began setting out the equipment that he had brought along.

Lethe watched with interest as he opened his pack and set aside two wooden training swords, two pieces of leather with straps, and a few vulneraries. She was curious, to say the least, about the pieces of leather.

Ike could see that the cat laguz was curious about something, so he took it upon himself to give a brief explanation of each item he brought along.

Picking up a training sword, he held it out to his companion, which she accepted from him. Turning the sword over in her hands a few times, the cat laguz tried to get a feel for the weapon. Swords, like all beorc weapons, were clumsy and felt odd to wield.

She tried to find a way to hold the sword that didn't seem awkward to her, but every way she gripped the sword's hilt just didn't seem right. After a few minutes, she found a form that was acceptable. With that she looked back to her trainer.

"Since the purpose of this is simply to instruct, and not to kill or spar, I think wooden swords will work the best for this," the lord informed his friend. "The vulneraries are just in case we wear ourselves out or actually manage to hurt one another."

Walking over to the remaining items, Lethe picked up one of the strange leather pieces. Holding it up, she sniffed it once before looking it over. "And what is this supposed to be for?"

A chuckle issued forth from her superior officer. "These are arm guards. Usually a swordsman would wear one out of metal, but these leather ones should suffice for wooden sword training."

Picking up his own arm guard, Ike proceeded to strap the piece onto his left arm and secure it, showing it to the laguz with an added, 'See?'

Following Ike's example, the catgirl secured it on her left arm. It felt strange, very foreign to her. She was used to not being weighted down by anything other than her clothes, but this felt so different.

"And what is this supposed to do?" she inquired as she continued looking over her now-secured arm guard.

Taking his wooden sword in hand, he struck it against his own arm guard, and quite forcefully at that. "A swordsman, no matter how good they are, won't always be able to parry or dodge every attack. Sometimes we use our arm guards to take a hit for us. It's like armor, but there's more to it. You have to know how to use it."

The laguz feline pondered on this. Wasn't armor just supposed to sit there and do its job? How was one supposed to be skilled with armor?

Seeing that his companion did not understand, Ike set his sword down and approached the laguz. He stopped when he was no more than an arm's length away from her.

"Strike me with your sword," he ordered.

Lethe narrowed her eyes, wondering what the beorc was up to. It wasn't everyday that somebody walked up to her and asked her to attack them.

"It's simple really. Just pull your arm back and swing this side of the sword at me as hard as you can," the boy instructed, pointing to one of the blunted edges of the sword.

"I know how to swing a sword!" the laguz hissed. She could tell Ike was using a joking tone, but still! To assume that a person didn't know how to swing a weapon… She was going make sure he regretted joking around with her like that.

Using all of her might she drew back the training weapon and lashed out at the beorc in front of her. She grinned when she felt the weapon impact with her instructor. Something wasn't right though. He was smiling!

Looking at where she had hit, she saw that she had struck his arm guard. Her attack didn't make her feel as satisfied now. Once again she lashed out. The attack was sloppy and poorly executed, but it had a good deal of force behind it nonetheless. The only difference between this attack and her last one was that she actually bothered to watch what he did this time.

The beorc's eyes seemed focused on her sword arm. He watched her draw the weapon back, and as she swung, his eyes moved to her hand and the hilt of the blade. Moving accordingly and precisely, he shifted his weight slightly, and threw his protected arm out in front of him.

Once more the sword impacted with the center of his arm guard, and he suffered no harm. Lethe was almost seething now. He was toying with her, almost daring her to land a hit. Oh, she'd show him…

Once more she drew her sword back, but instead of simply slashing with the weapon, she at the last moment brought it to her side and elected to thrust the sword's tip toward her opponent. Ike almost seemed to expect this and, using his quick reflexes, he swatted the sword's blade with his arm guard, knocking the attack away from him.

He followed up by darting forward and tackling the female laguz to the ground. Said humanoid let out a surprised yowl as she impacted the ground, her attacker on top of her. Looking up, she found herself staring into the cerulean eyes of her comrade, whose face was mere inches from her own.

"And that," Ike started, "Is how you use an arm guard to your advantage. Even without your weapon you can still be a force to be reckoned with."

"That's great…" the laguz feline muttered as she tried to process the entire series of events leading up to her being on the ground. "Can you get off of me now?"

The blue haired youth hurriedly removed himself from his current position, albeit a little red in the face. After brushing himself off he extended a hand to his friend, offering her assistance in getting up.

She wanted nothing more than to swat his hand away and make a comment about not needing help from a beorc. But that thought was quickly squashed as she accepted his help. He was, after all, her friend. He was one of the few beorcs she had come to like and in a way, respect.

"When you fight with a weapon, you not only pay attention to _what_ your enemy attacks with, but _how _they attack," Ike explained.

"If you watch their movements, you can predict how they are going to attack you. That's how I was able to block your sword with my arm guard. I simply watched your body movements."

Now it made more sense. By predicting how a person was going to attack, you could move your arm guard so that it was in the path of the weapon, successfully blocking your opponent's attack.

The laguz allowed herself to smile at that. She had come to understand what she guessed were the "basics" of defending with an arm guard. So maybe if a person was skilled enough, they wouldn't need any armor _other than _an arm guard.

'Looks like she finally gets it,' Ike thought to himself. 'I'll need to give her more credit from now on I suppose.'

He also noted that she should smile a bit more. She was far too serious, in his opinion, and needed to learn to lighten up. There was just something about her smile… it was, in a word, beautiful, even with her elongated canines. 'If only she would show it more often…'

Bringing himself back to the matter at hand, he went back and retrieved his training sword. Once again taking up a position in front of Lethe, he raised his sword arm up in the air, but kept his blade parallel to the ground. His other arm was kept out in front of him at about waist level.

"This is a very basic sword form, the first one that my father taught me. Now, mimic my actions," he instructed.

His "student" did as she was told and adjusted her form to look like his mirror image. It felt strange though, holding a weight above herself like that. She assumed it was something she would get used to with time.

"Now, the idea behind this form is…"

o-o-O-o-o

Their training sessions continued like that for some time. Each day, Ike noticed that the catgirl had gotten a bit better. Lethe was a quick study to be sure, but her level was nowhere near his own. At best, he would put her swordsmanship at about the level he was at when he first became the commander of the Greil Mercenaries.

Although that was quite low, it was still impressive, considering that it was a _laguz _who had done it; a being that had never wielded, or prior to this, had any intention of wielding, a beorc weapon.

A week had gone by in the blink of an eye, and Ike was once again preparing to head out to train his laguz friend. This was not to be, however, and instead he found himself being greeted by the yells of sentries.

"We're under attack! Daein troops are approaching!" one soldier yelled. He was quickly running around the camp, waking up all its inhabitants, informing them to get ready for a fight.

Ike made his way towards the tents of his fellow mercenaries. Titania was already up and about, instructing other members of the group on their duties. In truth, he was glad to have the red haired Paladin as deputy commander.

"Commander, I've already dispatched Tanith and a few squads of Pegasus Knights to attack the Daein soldiers from behind. Everyone else is ready and awaits your orders," the older woman informed him.

"Excellent work Titania. I'll take over from here. Can you see to Princess Elincia's safety?" he inquired.

The Paladin nodded before mounting her steed and heading off towards the Princess's tent. With that taken care of, the mercenary commander gave out instructions to the rest of his troops.

The mounted units were to engage the Daeins in head-on combat. Archers and casters were back line support. And finally, troops without steeds would act as the second front line wave and move about at their own discretion.

Wasting no time, each member of the Greil Mercenaries sprung into action. Ike took a few platoons of Begnion soldiers and moved to flank the enemy. His fellow mercenaries that joined him were Lethe, Volke, Mia, Soren, and Boyd.

They moved quickly and with purpose, hoping to be able to catch their enemies off guard from out of the wooded section of the battlefield. Said battlefield was essentially a large plain that was bordered with thick forests. Early deployments of the Crimean army met their attackers at the halfway point of the plain.

Soren wasted no time in summoning his arcane powers and engaging ranged attackers, striking with the elemental fury of thunder. Volke, not one to take part in direct combat, took the shadows, taking down enemies whenever they happened to wander too close to the wooded area.

Ike, Lethe, Boyd, and Mia leapt forth into combat, weapons and claws at the ready. With Soren and other long range soldiers taking down the ranged attackers on the opposing side, that only left direct melee fighters to be dealt with.

The blue haired youth found himself facing a duo of halberdiers. Not one to press his luck, he was quick to take to the offensive, rather than waiting. Dashing toward his first opponent, he ducked around a thrust of the man's steel lance.

With an upward slash from his Regal Sword, he sent the man staggering backwards, a large gash in his armor. Twisting to the side, he dodged an attack from the other soldier, who started his advance on the young swordsman. Being sure to keep from making the same mistake as his partner, the lance wielder made short jabs and thrusts, quickly retracting his weapon for defensive purposes.

Ike could see that the first man he attacked was regaining his footing and advancing on him. Having two lance wielders attacking him at the same time was not his idea of a "good" fight. He had to dispatch one of them fast, and he had the perfect idea of how to go about doing it.

Adjusting his grip on his sword, Ike hurled it into the air, then took off running towards one of his enemies. This trick would only work on relatively untrained or low discipline soldiers. Fortunately for him, his gamble paid off this time. Each Halberdier directed their attention up to the still rising sword, watching as it spun through the air.

It wasn't until the first lance user noticed a blue blur out of the corner of his eye, that he realized his mistake. Before he could act and fend off his attacker, he found himself tackled to the ground.

Not wanting to pass up his opportunity, Ike drew the dagger that was strapped to his ankle and thrust it into the man's unprotected neck. It was over in an instant, the man's unmoving body making gurgling noises as his life fluid bled out.

Removing the dagger, the Crimean general found himself set upon by the other Daein soldier. His sword, which had since impacted the ground and was standing up, was too far away for him to use. Close range was his only choice, but it would have to be on defensive terms.

The black armored soldier thrust his lance at his blue haired opponent, but he nimbly avoided the strike. Using the blade of his weapon, he tried to slash his unarmed enemy. This time, Ike ducked around the attack and dashed forward, hoping to use the same maneuver as before to eliminate his foe.

The Daein smirked. This is exactly what he wanted. The boy probably figured that he was making the same mistake as before, so he took the first opening he received. Once again he tried to tackle the man, but his foe was prepared. Using the butt of his weapon, he knocked the boy aside. Now standing over his fallen foe, the Halberdier hoped to make quick work of the youth, while he was still dazed.

Ike saw the man raise his lance in hopes of a killing blow. Before the man could strike, his face turned from a sneer to a look of pain and agony, before he collapsed to a lifeless heap on the ground, a hand axe sticking out of his back.

Looking up, the mercenary leader found Boyd standing not more than thirty feet away, giving him a 'thumbs up' and a cocky grin. "You better watch yourself commander. I won't always be around to save your ass!"

Ike felt himself grin at that. His rivalry with the axe wielder may have caused trouble at times, but it only served to strengthen their friendship.

Making his way back to his previously discarded sword, the lord once again took it into his possession and continued his fight anew.

o-o-O-o-o

Lethe had been making short work of her foes, her claws and agility giving her a natural advantage over the beorcs. However, she, like all laguz, was unable to maintain her animal form for too long before reverting.

With no claws in her humanoid form, she instead found herself relying on the iron sword that Ike had given her. Along with that, he had also supplied her with a steel arm guard, which was made with the purpose of seeing real combat. A Myrmidon and a Swordmaster were the foes she was faced with, the former charging at her, silver sword drawn.

The man began attempting to dismember the catgirl, thinking that she had no practice with a human weapon. Such an assumption would turn out to be a mistake for him.

Starting with a downward slash, he hoped to cleave his opponent in half. His attack was parried with ease. Being a laguz, and one of the cat tribe, Lethe's enhanced eyesight made it easy to observe the Myrmidon's body movements. Every time he moved, it was as though she was reading a book. It was almost as if the Daein combatant was yelling out what he was going to do.

The man gritted his teeth. There was no way that subhuman knew how he was going to attack! If was obviously a fluke, and there was no chance she could stop his next attack!

Once more the sword wielder attacked with a downward slash. This time, before it reached its target, the man adjusted his armed slightly and moved the attack toward the laguz's side, hoping for at least a glancing blow. From there he could slowly cripple and then kill the beast!

Once more the attack was blocked. This time though, the laguz feline pressed her advantage of an opening and scored a slash on the man's sword arm. Said man was appalled. He had been injured! And by a sword wielding subhuman no less!

With a sharp battle cry, the Myrmidon charged forward and thrust his sword at the laguz. Following Ike's example, Lethe used her arm guard to swat the man's attack to the side, before leaping forward with her own thrust attack.

The man gasped in pain as he felt the sword pierce his chest. "Blasted subhuman…" he murmured as he felt his life leave him.

Removing her sword, Lethe turned towards her remaining opponent. The Swordmaster had an almost sadistic grin on his face as he stood with his arms crossed.

"Well," he started calmly, "This certainly is a pleasant surprise."

"Put up your weapon, beorc scum," the violet-eyed girl hissed. She wasn't one for kindness towards an enemy, but Ike had taught her that it was at least honorable to let your foe draw their weapon before attacking them.

At least, that was the case when it came down to a duel. Seeing as he was the only enemy that needed dealing with right now, it would be a one on one fight. What it boiled down to was that this would be a fight between sword users, hence, a duel.

"I never expected to come across a subhuman with knowledge of the sword. This is a rare once in a lifetime treat for me!" the sword veteran sneered. "I shall savor this."

The cat laguz growled in response. She decided the time for talk was over. It was time to let their swords do the talking. Lethe attacked with a flurry of sword strikes, but to her chagrin, each one was expertly dodged or parried.

"Come now. Surely you can do better than this," came the amused voice of her opponent. "I suppose this is the best that a subhuman is capable of," he sighed.

Once again, the laguz assaulted the Swordmaster with various strikes, each utilizing her incredible speed and agility. Again though, her attacks were met with failure.

The catgirl found herself quickly becoming agitated. This beorc was toying with her and she knew it. The bored look on the man's face was evidence of that. Every attack she made was knocked aside or simply brushed off. She had yet to strike the man, and probably wouldn't. His swordsmanship was of an entirely higher caliber than hers.

Tired of playing around, the Daein sword wielder decided it was time to take to the offensive. He lunged forward, sword at the ready. The laguz managed to parry his first attack, which he had hoped she would. After all, it wouldn't be fair to end such a match with only a single strike.

The beorc darted around the laguz, striking out at random intervals, each time catching the feline-like humanoid off guard. Apparently she wasn't as well trained with a sword as he had thought.

'This is pathetic… I'll never defeat him this way!' Lethe thought with disdain. Her sword skills were no match for him, so it looked as though she would have to do what laguz did best. Improvise…

When the Swordmaster launched another attack at the cat laguz, she dropped down to the ground and lashed out with a kick. It connected with the swordsman's gut, which sent him reeling.

"You sneaky little subhuman…" the beorc muttered. "You broke one of my ribs with that kick. I'm afraid you'll have to pay now."

With almost inhuman speed, the sword wielder had surged forward and with a single attack, sent his opponent to the ground. In the process, the laguz's sword had been sent skittering across the ground, far out of her reach.

Standing over his fallen opponent, the swordsman let a maniacal grin cross his face. "Well, it's time for you to pay the price little kitty!" he cackled.

The orange haired girl wanted to move, she really did. But her body was aching and wouldn't respond to her commands. She could only sit and watch in horror as the man raised his sword, ready to impale her.

With a quick downward thrust, the sword found its way to the catgirl's right shoulder. The burning sensation was unbearable. Letting out a cry of pain, the laguz clenched her fists, trying not to focus her injury. Something caught her attention though… the pommel gem on the hilt of the man's sword was glowing. It was red!

That meant… the sword was a Rune Blade! Pain coursed throughout the laguz's entire body, and it felt as though she was on fire on the inside. The man above her laughed darkly as he felt his strength returning to him, thanks to the twisted magic of his weapon.

Removing the blade as slowly and painfully as he could, the swordsman crouched so he was at eye level with his opponent.

"Such good opponents you subhumans make," he chuckled, looking over the wounds he had inflicted on the humanoid. "You're so fun to toy with, and even _more _fun to hurt. But what I think I enjoy the most… is how they always try to act so superior to humans. Even as they lie broken and beaten, they don't give us the satisfaction of hearing them beg for mercy."

Delivering a kick to his downed opponent's ribs, the Daein laughed. "That was for breaking one of _my _ribs. Unlike my allies, I take pleasure in causing my subhuman victim as much pain as possible, before leaving them to rot. I never perform a clean killing stroke on subhumans. It is _so _much more fun to watch as they try in vain to cling to their life, knowing full well that they won't survive my torture."

That was it… Lethe had had enough. Slowly her vision turned to red. This man would die by her hand, and nothing would stop her. Her fury was bubbling up within her, and that was all she needed right now. Hate… anger… bloodlust…

The Swordmaster grinned as he saw the subhuman begin to shake. 'The futility of her efforts must finally be settling in,' he mused.

Without warning, the laguz transformed and lunged at the man. He had no time to react. In an instant he was on his back, with two sets of claws digging into his chest. He cried out in pain as he felt the claws dig through his flesh.

'He must pay…' the laguz thought as she continued raking her claws over the beorc again and again. 'He must _DIE!' _she screamed in her mind.

Using her powerful jaws, the transformed laguz bit down on the beorc's throat and tore away at the flesh. The man's screaming abruptly ended…

The cat's fur was now soaked with blood… her opponent's blood. But it wasn't enough. He had to pay… even in death. And so she continued with her punishment, destroying the man's body further.

o-o-O-o-o

Ike ran as fast as he could. He had seen Lethe go after a set of opponents, but she had moved farther away from him, hoping to drag her foes away from the greater numbers on the battlefield.

While he knew the laguz was sufficient in sword combat, he was doubtful that she could take on two opponents and come out unscathed. Keeping that in mind, he continued to run through the dense forest, looking for any sign of his laguz companion.

As he neared the edge of a clearing, his nose was assaulted with the scent of blood. Being a beorc, his sense of smell wasn't as strong as other species… so this meant that there was a _lot _of blood, and it was fresh. Stepping out into the clearing, the blue haired general came upon a sight that made him want to wretch.

In the center of the clearing was… what was once a beorc, Ike assumed. There was blood everywhere… along with innards and torn flesh, strewn across the clearing. On what remained of the body was a laguz. But not just any laguz… it was Lethe. He could tell from the two green ribbons with bells at the ends.

There was something… off about her. She was still in her beast form, and still mauling the man's body. Ike knew he would have to be careful.

"Lethe," he called out. If the female laguz heard him, she gave no indication of it. Her ears didn't even twitch in his direction. Slowly, he approached the enraged laguz.

Inch by inch he made his way over to his friend. When he was an arm's length away he reached out to grab the laguz. Resting a hand upon her back he called out her name again.

This time, the cat _did _react. Whipping around it leapt at the mercenary commander. Ike managed to move himself out of the creature's path, if only just barely. Drawing his sword, he took up a defensive stance. He didn't want to hurt the catgirl, but he'd be damned if he simply sat there and let her attack him.

The orange furred laguz began to circle the blue haired youth, looking for an opening.

"Lethe, you have to stop this," the beorc called out. "Don't let your animal side control you."

The laguz responded by attempting to slash at him. Ike managed to parry the claws with his blade, hoping to keep from injuring his friend. The cat charged forward, intent on harming the beorc, just like she did the other one…

"Why are you doing this? What's wrong?!" the lord inquired as he continued parrying the laguz's attacks. There had to be some way to get through to her without hurting her, but what?

A hiss and a growl were all that he got in reply. There would be no negotiating with her, no reasoning. He would have to tire her out. However, he knew that could be a problem, considering how stubborn Lethe was when she was in her _humanoid_ form. She wouldn't simply give up from exhaustion.

The pattern of attack and parry continued on for several minutes. Throughout it all, Ike never stopped trying to get through to the laguz. Each time though, he was simply answered with another attack.

It wasn't until Ike went to switch up his sword form that the cat was able to catch him off guard. Even though his differing sword forms were similar, trained eyes like that of the beast tribe would be able to pick up on it.

It was when his grip was the least secure that the beast struck. He managed to parry, but his weapon was knocked out of his hands and sent flying a short distance away.

Inwardly, the mercenary leader cursed at his carelessness. He thought about using his dagger, but quickly dismissed the thought.

'I don't want to hurt her…'

Unfortunately, the laguz's thinking was not among the same lines.

'Hurt… torture… _kill _the beorcs would seek to harm me…' the laguz growled to itself.

With no weapon, Ike found himself on the defensive more than ever. Cat laguz were naturally agile and quick, more so than even the most well trained beorc were. This advantage allowed the feline laguz to score several hits on the Crimean general.

Ike watched in silence as several trails of blood began to make their way down his chest and arms. If this kept up much longer…

"Lethe, please stop this! This isn't you, take back control!" he pleaded, hoping the laguz would listen.

For a second it seemed as though she hesitated. Maybe he had gotten through after all. At least… he thought he had, before the laguz leapt at him, knocking him to the ground.

The cat smirked internally. It had caught its prey. All that was left was to dispose of it. It moved to rip out the beorc's throat with its jaws, but instead found an arm in the way.

Ike grimaced as he felt the laguz's teeth dig into the skin of his sword arm. Blood was pouring forth at an alarming rate. In addition to the other wounds he had suffered, the blood loss was starting to add up. He felt light-headed, but he would not simply give up and die.

"Don't do this Lethe… please…" came his plea.

A growl issued forth from the filled jaws of the cat. It applied more force behind its bite. As its teeth sank in deeper, the laguz took pleasure in watching pain etch itself across the boy's face. He would suffer as she had at the hands of the other beorc…

Ike was about to speak to the laguz again, but before he could, an audible _SNAP! _rang out through the clearing. The sound was accompanied by the most painful burning the blue haired beorc had ever felt in his life. His arm felt like it had been cleaved several times over with an axe… Ike did the only thing that came to mind. He screamed…

-End Chapter-

* * *

Draknal: A little morbid there at the end, I know. Hmm… don't have an explanation for that. Well, that concludes the chapter. There should be one other chapter, _maybe _two, depending on how much gets done or said in the next one. And it also depends on my mood and my workload for college.

Please: Some reviews would be much appreciated. It lets me know that what I write isn't just a waste of words.


	2. Repercussions

**Of Swords and Claws**

Draknal: Well, I'm back. I know it's been rather long since I last posted a chapter. However, having to attend two family funerals in the last 5 weeks has not helped me any. Sadness tends to decrease a person's creative writing capability. That and I just finished my finals for the semester.

I was surprised that I got so many reviews. Some made me chuckle, like one in particular. 'Said' reviewer knows who they are. Others I simply ignored. There was one specific reviewer that falls under this category. However, I will allow his remark to remain, as a testament to my ability to not be swayed by such comments.

One other reviewer in particular helped me to gain a bit of self-esteem with my writing. In fact, it is because of them that this chapter came out as soon as it did. A big thanks goes to **Guardianangelzelos.**

Anyway, here is chapter two, ready to go.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or any of its characters, just the plot of this story.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Repercussions**

Cleaning up what was left of the Daein combatants was an easily accomplished task. In terms of strength, the Crimean army had numbers and skill on their side. The Daeins simply managed to act with the element of surprise. Once order had been restored to the battlefield, it took no time at all for the Crimeans to crush their foes and obtain victory.

'This attack force was far too small to have been an actual attempt at defeating us,' thought Soren, trying to figure out his opponents' motives.

"If anything, they would only be… stalling us." Realization dawned on the boy. This had been nothing more than a stall tactic! They were preparing something… something big. And he needed to know what.

For now, this discovery would have to suffice. Ike would want to know of this, and then they could plan out their next course of action. Wiping the recently acquired dirt from his robes, Soren set off to find his friend and leader.

He had recalled seeing the mercenary heading off into the forested area, along with Lethe. With any luck, the two of them would still be together, making his task of getting them back to the camp that much easier.

The raven-haired mage muttered a curse under his breath, making his way through the thick underbrush. Why did they have to pursue enemies through a forest?

He pulled his now snagged cloak off of a nearby low branch. Were it not for the fact that his friends were in this forest, he would have set fire to the whole damned thing! After this he was going to need a new cloak…

The caster was pulled from his musings when he heard someone cry out in agony. It was close… maybe an enemy that hadn't been finished off? Breaking into a run he readied his tome, just in case.

Moments later he found himself in a clearing. Looking for what might have caused the noise from before, he found two figures in the middle of the area. The one was a laguz, that much he could see. By the looks of it, a member of the beast tribe.

It had its back to him at the moment though, obstructing his vision of the second figure. Upon closer inspection he spied two familiar green ribbons hanging from the cat.

'I wonder what Lethe is still doing here?' he pondered.

He began making his way over to his transformed ally, intent on asking her where Ike was. He had taken no more than three steps when he heard another cry of pain. Whatever Lethe was attacking, she was making it suffer. That was unlike her… normally she would just off her enemy, then continue on.

As he drew closer, the laguz turned its head toward him, moving ever so slightly to one side. What Soren saw in that moment made him freeze. A mop of blue hair, a green headband, shoulder armor… it was Ike.

She was attacking _Ike_. The boy was covered in blood and the clothing covering his chest and arms were thoroughly shredded, from claws…

The branded boy could feel his blood begin to boil… first Nasir, and now _this?_ Lethe had been with them longer and earned Ike's trust, and she now dare betray them?! She was actually trying to _kill _Ike!

(A/N: Yes Soren had Thunder in the last chapter, but his tome is multi-purpose. Why else would he always have just that one tome with him?)

In a flash the boy's tome snapped open and a bolt of Elfire formed in his free hand. With only the thought of saving the one person he could call a true friend, he let the spell fly.

The magic projectile struck the laguz in its side, sending it sprawling, its prey released. It let out a yowl, signifying its pain. Soren didn't plan on stopping there though. It would pay for what it had done. He released another blast of Elfire, intent on doing as much harm as possible, without killing the traitorous cat.

Once again the bolt struck the beast, sending its body skidding across the forest floor. The creature lay still after that, smoking from the effects of the magical fire. Convinced that it would not be getting up any time soon, Soren dashed over to his friend, whispering a quick prayer to the Goddess that he was not too late.

"Ike!" he cried as he knelt next to his fallen friend. Putting two of his fingers to the mauled boy's neck, he found that he indeed had a pulse, albeit a weak one. "Don't you _dare _die on me Ike. I swear that what you just underwent will be _nothing _compared to what I'll do if I have to drag you back from the afterlife!"

He received no response other than pained, struggled breaths. What could he do? He wasn't adept at healing, and he couldn't try even if he wanted to! He had given his Heal staff to Mist for her to use until she got a new one for herself. And he didn't have the physical capability to carry Ike all the way back to camp. If he tried he'd probably end up doing more harm than good!

He needed help, and quick. There had to be a way to- that was it! Opening his tome once more, the Sage formed an orb of Elfire and launched it skyward, where it exploded a few seconds later. Not more than a minute afterwards, a large hawk soared over the clearing, turning its gaze down toward the figures below.

The hawk quickly descended, transforming into the familiar form of Janaff, the Hawk King's Eyes.

"What in the name of the Goddess happened here?" he asked as his eyes darted from the downed laguz to the battered and bleeding form of his superior officer.

"Get back to the camp and get help!" came the response.

A frown crossed the bird humanoid's features. Who was this boy to yell at him? "Look I don't know what your deal is but-"

"Ike needs help _now!_ He's _dying!_"shouted the black haired beorc. His tone was filled with urgency and pleading.

Giving a quick nod, the hawk laguz took to the air once again, flying towards the mercenary camp with all the speed his wings would allow.

o-o-O-o-o

With a great deal of pain, a pair of violet eyes forced themselves open. Lethe let out a groan as the full extent of her injuries set it. Her entire right side felt like someone had taken a hammer to it, and the rest of her body ached with what now felt like phantom pain.

The laguz attempted to sit up, but quickly reconsidered as a wave of soreness swept through her body. What exactly had happened? That is what she wanted to know. They had been under attack by the Daeins, and the mercenaries had split into groups to deal with the threat. She had faced off against two opponents, a Myrmidon and a Swordmaster.

'I remember killing the first one,' she thought to herself. 'But then what?'

An ache shot through her shoulder as she tried to move her right arm. Why did it hurt so much to move that arm? She could remember bits and pieces of what happened with the Swordmaster.

'I was stabbed there,' the laguz thought bitterly. 'That bastard got me with a Rune Blade.' It was no wonder she was still sore there.

But something wasn't right. She had been losing that battle. From what she could remember, she had been both outclassed and outmatched. But if that were the case, how was she still alive right now?

"I had to be saved by someone yet again…" she muttered angrily. "I took all that time to train in using a sword, and I _still _needed someone to save me!"

Lethe immediately regretted yelling out the last part, as she felt the pain from before return full force. Wincing slightly, the laguz continued to wonder about what happened in silence.

There was something else she remembered, if only vaguely. There had been a scream. Someone had been in a lot of pain, but the catgirl couldn't recall who it was. If anything, she most likely had subconsciously cried out when the beorc stabbed her shoulder.

The cat humanoid closed her eyes, opting to rest a bit more before going to see what everyone else was doing. It was strangely quiet around the camp. She had yet to hear the loud clanking of the sentry's armor, or the neighing of the mercenaries' steeds.

It was as though the world outside of the tent was dead. She couldn't pick up on any sounds at- wait, there was one. Her ears twitched slightly as she tried to locate the source of the sound. It was quiet, _very _quiet. Anyone without a sense of hearing as acute as hers would never have picked up on the sound.

Breathing. Someone was breathing, in slow even intervals. Opening her eyes, Lethe turned her head towards the owner of the noise. Lying on a makeshift bed a few feet away from her was Ike. What was he doing there? Had he been hurt? What happened to him?

Questions continued to pop up in the feline laguz's head until she decided to get up and see for herself the extent of his injuries. Moving as slowly as she could manage, as to not irritate her own injuries, the cat humanoid made her way over to the blue haired beorc.

The boy was lying on his back, his shirt and shoulder armor missing. Somehow, he still had his headband on, keeping his short blue spikes of hair at bay. There was something that disturbed the laguz though. His chest, while certainly well defined, a thought she quickly pushed away, was covered in scars.

These scars were too precisely set apart to have been made with a sword though. They looked like… claw marks. A laguz had attacked him, that much was apparent. Looking from his chest to his arms she noticed similar scars. She could tell that they were fresh, and had recently been healed through magical means.

She soon found her attention brought to the boy's right arm. There was a large gash mark there, with what looked like four puncture wounds. Kneeling down, Lethe found herself running a hand over the wound, curiosity getting the better of her.

Ike, although asleep, cringed at the contact with the injury. Noticing this, Lethe removed her hand and continued to observe the beorc as he slept. While his breathing was for the most part even and calm, there were times when his breathing became labored, showing that he was still in pain.

"Get away from him!" came a growl from the entrance of the tent.

Looking over at the person commanding her, she saw that it was Soren, and he was glaring at her with murder in his eyes. His magic tome was out, although not open.

"I said get away from him. I will _not _repeat myself again." The raven haired boy followed up his order by opening his book. He was serious.

The laguz found herself frowning. 'What's his problem?'

Getting up, she made her way towards the tent's exit, hoping to leave behind the irate beorc. It was not to be.

"You are not leaving this tent," Soren informed her. "Go lay back down."

"You have no authority to tell me what I will and will not do, beorc," the cat laguz hissed, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

A bolt of Elfire lit up in the caster's hand. "That is where you are mistaken, _laguz_," he retorted, venom leaking into his voice at the word 'laguz.' "You will remain here until the others return. And before that time, you will not leave my sight. Now return to your rest."

He was threatening her. This beorc was _threatening_ her. He certainly had guts, she'd give him that much. However, no one, aside from King Gallia or Ike ordered her around, much less threatened her.

She was preparing to transform and launch herself at the spellcaster, intent on making sure that he learn his place. His next words however, stopped her cold.

"I will not allow you to finish what you started in that clearing," the branded boy stated with determination evident in his tone.

'Finish what I started? What does he mean…?' the orange haired girl wondered. She noticed the Sage's eyes darting from her to the still form of the mercenary leader. Her eyes widened in shock.

'He can't mean… I wouldn't…'

"I will not let you harm Ike again," Soren noted firmly, as he allowed his spell to dissipate. "Now-"

"You're _lying!_" the cat laguz shouted. "I would never attack an ally, let alone our leader!"

The cloaked beorc sneered back at her. "Unfortunately you have no proof to back up your claim. _I, _however, _do. _I was there. I _saw _you with your jaws around his arm, his blood all over your claws and fur…"

"LIAR!" she roared as she lunged at the caster.

Her body, in its weakened state, was sluggish and made for an easy target. Soren's balled up fist impacted with her stomach, sending her reeling.

The cat humanoid hit the ground hard, surprised at how much strength the Sage had when angry. There was no way she'd be able to beat him in her current condition. Such an end for her to face, killed by her own ally…

She was shocked when no killing blow came. Looking up, she found Soren checking on his sword-wielding friend, before he turned his gaze to her.

Crouching beside the laguz, he slipped an arm under her shoulder and helped her to stand, before moving her back to her makeshift bed. Once she had been laid down, the black haired beorc gave her a stern glare, before walking back over to his friend and sitting down next to him.

o-o-O-o-o

With the tent's two other occupants quiet and taken care of, Soren had pulled out a few of his scrolls and begun looking over the information gathered from their previous battle.

Maybe with a bit of luck he could figure out what it was the Daeins were planning. There were very few laguz, which meant that either they were running low on them, or were saving them for something important. There was also a lack of any _real _leadership on the enemy's side. The attack on the Crimean camp was nothing short of suicide. Such a pointless waste of life…

A cough brought Soren's thoughts away from the battle. Looking down, he found himself staring at a fully conscious Ike. He let a small smile make its way to his face.

"How are you feeling?" he inquired, setting his scrolls aside.

"Sore," his friend rasped.

The caster handed a canteen of water to the injured boy, which was downed with little effort.

"How did I get here?" Ike asked, hoping to gain some answers.

"Titania carried you back to camp. I wasn't strong enough, and no one else's mounts were available at the time. When we brought you back, Rhys and Mist tended to you," the raven-haired boy informed his friend.

"What happened?" he asked, closing his eyes once again.

The black-cloaked teen felt himself frown. "Actually, I was hoping you could tell me that Ike."

"I was looking for Lethe- Lethe! Where is she?" he shouted, hoping his friend was all right. He tried to sit up, but was pushed back down by his long time friend.

"Resting," came the response to his query. "Now continue. What happened?"

"I… found her in a clearing. She was in her beast form, and she had just finished killing one of her opponents…" He stopped to think about the other events, and wondered whether or not he should leave certain details out.

Soren seemed to notice this, as Ike had trailed off, his sentence left unfinished. "Ike, I already know about what she did. I was the one that found you."

Well, so much for being able to keep things under wraps. This most definitely wasn't going to turn out well. His only hope now was to be able to convince his friend that what happened was simply a mistake. This was Soren though, one of the most intelligent and capable people he knew. It wasn't likely that he'd be fooled.

"She wasn't herself, and when I tried to talk to her… she attacked me," he explained sadly.

"Why didn't you defend yourself? You could have stopped her," the Sage commented. He sounded slightly irritated, probably at the recklessness his friend displayed in the situation involving Lethe.

"I couldn't hurt her, she's one of my friends," he answered, electing not to elaborate any further.

The branded boy felt a spike of anger run through him. "So you're saying that if I were to try to kill you right now," he started, pulling a dagger from the inner folds of his cloak, "That you wouldn't stop me from doing so?!"

Ike could tell that this was really tearing him up. After all, it wasn't every day that the Sage expressed his emotions so freely. "Soren, I would stop you, but I would try not to hurt you. I wouldn't want to have to harm _any_ of my friends if I could help it."

"That's so… so stupid! She could have killed you Ike!" his companion shouted.

"But she didn't," the blue-haired boy responded, keeping his voice calm and quiet.

"Only because I didn't let her!" He was going to get his point across, one way or another.

"Soren, please just forgive her. I'm sure she didn't mean to do it."

The spellcaster suddenly became silent. His head was lowered, hiding his expression from his only friend. "I can't do that Ike," he murmured.

"Why?" It was such a simple question, but the caster felt that there was only one way to address it.

"Ike, would you forgive her if it hadn't been you she attacked, but Mist instead?" he asked, his tone low.

The mercenary leader became quiet. The black-haired boy had struck a weak spot, and he knew this. Mist was the only _real _family he had left, and he knew the general would give _anything, _even his own life, to make sure that she was okay.

"She didn't attack Mist though, she attacked me."

Soren was intent on keeping his friend from avoiding the question so easily. "But what if it _had _been Mist? Would you still be so forgiving?"

Ike could only wonder what he would do. Mist was his sister, his only family. He had promised his dad that he would keep her safe and take care of her. "Lethe wouldn't do that…"

"Answer the question Ike! What if she had? And what if it hadn't just been an attack? What if she had kil-"

"She didn't!" the lord shouted. "But… if she did, I don't know. I just don't know…" he trailed off.

The cloaked boy let out a brief sigh. "This is important Ike. Please answer my question."

"What does this have to do with anything Soren?! It didn't happen!"

Ike was beginning to lose his composure. This talk of death… it was one thing he didn't like. He had seen too much of it in his family, and he didn't want to think on it anymore.

"It _does _have to do with this Ike," Soren started. "I'm in the same position you would be in had it been Mist…"

The Crimean general seemed to grasp what his friend was getting at, but because the thought had already been started, the Sage was intent on finishing it.

"You are the only friend I have Ike… the only person who knows, and accepts me for what I am. And you were almost killed. You would ask me to forgive the one that nearly murdered you?"

Ike had no response he could give the boy. His situation was _indeed _the same one that he would have been in had his sister been attacked. He tried to think of himself as a good and forgiving person, but where would he draw the line?

Silence reigned between the two friends for a few moments. It was uncomfortable to talk about the loss of a loved one, and both boys knew this loss well. Maybe it was time to change the subject.

"Where is everyone?" Ike inquired softly, looking around the tent for something to divert his attention to.

"They're out fighting the Daein army," was the response he received.

Before he could make inquiries as to what was happening and how the battle was going without him, his cloaked companion decided to intervene.

"They're fine Ike. Two royal Crimean retainers arrived earlier, informing us that the castle we were heading to had recently come under siege. Princess Elincia requested that our army ride to their aid. Apparently, another one of her retainers is leading the defense of the castle, and Elincia didn't want to simply turn her back on him, or the soldiers there."

That sounded like the princess all right. She was always concerned with the lives of others, hoping to help them when she could.

"Everyone left to fight, including Princess Elincia," Soren continued.

Ike's mouth was agape. The princess was in combat?! Oh this definitely wasn't good… An employer was _not _supposed to become involved in combat, _ever._

"Don't worry, she isn't fighting," chuckled the magic user. "She just wanted to be there to witness the fight. Her two retainers are seeing to her safety personally."

The blue-haired general let out a sigh of relief. That was one less thing for him to worry about. But if everyone one else was out fighting, who was left to maintain the camp? Certainly Soren wasn't foolish enough to see to that task alone. What if enemies made it to the camp? He couldn't take on multiple foes at once by himself!

"So… you're the only one who stayed at the camp?" Ike asked, hoping that he would not get an affirmation to his question.

The spellcaster shook his head. "No, Rhys is here as well. After healing you he was completely drained. He was in no condition to fight, but he insisted that they take him with them. Titania forbade it and told him to get some rest. He's currently sleeping in a different tent."

An exhausted Bishop? That was the extra backup they left at the camp? This didn't make Ike any more comforted. Who did they leave to protect the supplies, empty suits of armor?

"So if Rhys is resting then- ahh!" the mercenary abruptly ended his sentence with a shout of pain as he tried to push himself up with his right arm. Oh by the Goddess… the pain! Hadn't Soren said that he'd been healed?!

Grabbing his friend's shoulders to support him, Soren could only hope that he hadn't injured anything again. "Ike, your arm is still broken. Rhys didn't heal the bone, only your flesh wounds."

A brief glare from the blue haired boy that seemed to say 'Why the hell not?!' made him chuckle mentally. "He can only properly heal what injuries he can _see, _so he is able direct the flow of healing magic where it is needed. Had he healed your arm completely, and the bone hadn't been properly set, it would have been mended incorrectly."

Ike didn't seem to find a problem with this. As long as his arm was ready to go, wouldn't everything be fine?

"If it wasn't mended correctly, you would not be able to use it. To fix that we would have to _re-break _your completely healed arm, so we could make sure the process was done correctly this time."

The mercenary leader paled after hearing that. It hurt _enough _when it was broken the first time. Once was plenty for him. This meant that he would have to let it heal itself naturally then… and that took time. Time was something he did _not _have a lot of, considering the foe he would have to face in the near future.

Taking off his cloak, Soren began to rip it into large strips. His injured friend raised an eyebrow, wondering what he could be thinking. "I have others Ike, and this one was ruined as it was. Rhys didn't have time to finish with your arm since you were asleep."

Using the remnants of his cloak, the Sage created a crudely made, but effective sling. After fetching a new shirt for Ike, and assisting his currently disabled friend in putting it on, he secured the sling to his arm, and around the back of his neck.

"Just leave it like this for a while," he explained. "After a few weeks, the bone should be naturally healed enough for us to use magic to hasten your recovery."

"_Weeks?! _Soren, I don't _have _weeks, the Black Knight could show up at any time!" the blue haired lord protested.

He received a commanding gaze from his friend. "I don't like this any more than you do Ike. But if you are to make a full recovery, it must occur naturally."

How had things become so complicated? When his father died, he had taken over as the leader of the Greil Mercenaries. That wasn't too hard, once he had gotten the hang of it. Then they found Princess Elincia and she became their employer.

Their task was originally to get her to Gallia. They completed that task. Then they had to go to Begnion. That task was successfully completed as well. After practically going through hell and back, they received the aid of not only Begnion, but Gallia as well, and Phoenicis. Now they were on their way to defeat the Daein king, Ashnard.

Ike had only one personal goal on the side of all of this, avenging the death of his father. Now, matters had been made slightly more difficult. How could he expect to defeat the Black Knight when he couldn't use his sword arm?

"Are you feeling okay Ike?" Soren asked. Ike seemed to be okay physically, other than his arm that is. Mentally though… he had no idea. This was a lot to take in. Being attacked by an ally, finding out you might not be able to exact vengeance on your parent's killer…

"I'm alright. I just… need some time to think, that's all," he supplied. "Go ahead and get back to whatever it is you were doing. If I need help with anything else I'll be sure to let you know."

The magic user looked hesitant, glancing over to where Lethe was asleep. He had said that he'd watch them until the others got back.

"Soren, I'll be fine, I promise. If anything happens I'll get you right away," he smirked, hoping that it would put his fears to rest.

With a nod and a brief hint of a smile, Soren gathered up his scrolls and made his way out of the tent, intent on discovering what the Daeins' next move was.

o-o-O-o-o

Unbeknownst to the two beorc, their laguz companion was _not _asleep. She had been lying on her side, her back to the two conversing males, leaving it impossible to know whether she really had been resting or not. She had heard everything.

'I really did attack him…' The thought saddened her, and at the same time caused her anger to rise up. Anger at herself, for being so weak and allowing herself to lose control like that.

She didn't want to believe it when she had first heard it from Soren. But now… Ike had confirmed the story, and her fears. Yet, how could Ike continue to defend her, even after what she had done?! When the Sage had asked about Ike's sister, she only felt more ashamed of herself.

If anyone other than Ike had come across her in her berserked state, she most likely _would _have killed them. Had it been one of the younger beorc… by the Goddess… she didn't even want to _think _about that.

What dishonor she had brought to the name 'laguz.' To have attacked an ally, and one who had done nothing to provoke it at that. Surely this would be reported to King Gallia. It was not his harsh words that she feared, but the disappointed look she would most likely receive. To let down one's king… that was something that _no _soldier wanted to do.

She was drawn from her depressed thoughts by the sound of rustling, coming from behind her. No doubt Ike was getting up and preparing to leave. He never was one for simply lying around. In all of her time spent with the beorc mercenary, Lethe could not remember a single instance where he had simply sat around doing nothing, unless he had no choice in the matter.

Instead of moving farther away and towards the tent exit, she heard footsteps heading in her direction. Deciding that it would be best no to be found out, the cat laguz kept her eyes closed and her breathing steady.

Ike stopped in front of the laguz and knelt down so that he was only slightly bent over her. Using his uninjured arm, he brushed a few strands of orange hair from her face. It comforted him to know she hadn't been hurt.

"I don't blame you Lethe," he whispered. "I know you would never hurt your friends on purpose."

Standing back up, the beorc let out a sigh. When the others got back there would probably be a huge uproar. Everyone would want to know what happened, and who was responsible for what. He would have to think of a way to explain everything without his friends jumping to conclusions.

Turning on his heel, Ike went to leave the tent, but was stopped when he thought he heard someone's voice. It had been so quiet that he almost missed it. Looking over his shoulder, he found Lethe sitting up on her bed, looking in the beorc's direction.

"Lethe?" he asked, making his way back over to his shapeshifting ally.

"I said… I'm sorry, Ike."

He had never heard her sound so down, so… defeated before. He sat down next to his friend, hoping that he could cheer her up. Ike was used to the energetic fireball that the laguz normally was, not this dreary depressed being that sat next to him now.

"Lethe, you have nothing to be sorry for. Like I said, it wasn't your fault," he explained, hoping she would simply accept this and not dwell on the matter.

"It _is _my fault Ike! I lost control… I could have killed you!" she shouted.

Ike smiled warmly at orange haired laguz. "But you didn't, did you? I'm still alive and well, right here."

"But if Soren hadn't been there to stop me I-" she wanted to finish what she was saying, but her eyes had begun to betray her, as she could feel them beginning to moisten with unshed tears.

"I… I'm just… Soren was right," she whispered, lowering her head. "I'm nothing more than a beast… a subhuman…"

The young lord was shocked to hear those words leave her mouth. She was clearly not herself. Using his good arm, Ike cupped the catgirl's chin and made her look up into his eyes. They held nothing but warmth and sincerity.

"Lethe, never say that about yourself. You are a strong laguz warrior, and one of my closest friends. No one thinks that about you, especially not me. So please, don't say things like that."

That was all that had needed to be said. The tears that had once been held back were now flowing freely. Lethe latched on to the beorc's waist and allowed herself to lay her head on his chest, letting his shirt soak up her tears.

She hated it. She wanted to keep something like this from happening. The laguz had been trying with all her might to stop the tears from continuing, but they would not abide by her will. They were instead showing what she truly felt at that moment.

To cry was to show weakness. She hadn't done that since she was but a young laguz child, when she had been told that her parents had been killed by beorc.

She was thankful that Ike was the only one to see her in her time of weakness right now. And somehow, she didn't feel ashamed because of it.

The whole time, she had continued to tell Ike that she was sorry, and that she didn't deserve his forgiveness. But he would hear none of it. Instead he simply kept lending his support to a friend in their time of need. He ran his hand through her hair, and continued trying to calm her down.

After a few minutes, Lethe had managed to compose herself somewhat, and the tears had died down. However, she continued holding on to the beorc, and kept her head laid against him. Ike had his arm around her shoulder, keeping her close.

"I want you to stop beating yourself up over this Lethe. I know you wouldn't intentionally attack me," he assured her.

His only response was silence. Apparently she still refused to accept that he was not blaming her in the slightest.

"You seem pretty certain of that…" she mumbled against his chest.

Ike felt himself grin. _Now _she was beginning to sound like her old self. It looked as though all she had to do was let out her emotions, something he guessed that she did not do often.

He would have continued to converse further with the laguz, but listening closely, he found that her breathing was now coming at slow, even intervals. She really _was _asleep this time. The mercenary leader allowed himself to chuckle, thinking about how all of this had come about.

Sitting there, his friend laying against him, Ike could only be thankful that he had companions like Lethe. Although they could sometimes be an enigma, or too stubborn for their own good, they always proved to be the best of friends in the end.

Deciding that a bit more sleep might be a good idea, Ike took his cloak and brought it across himself and his friend, careful not to wake her. It might have only been a thin cloth, but it would at least provide a bit of extra warmth. Closing his eyes, the blue haired boy allowed darkness to claim him. However, unlike the last time that happened, it was under far more pleasant circumstances.

Soren found the two in that same position hours later. However, instead of disturbing them, he left the tent and instead stood guard at its entrance, telling the others that Ike still needed rest and shouldn't be disturbed.

-End Chapter-

* * *

Draknal: Well, that concludes Chapter 2. I made up for the morbidity in the last chapter with a bit of WAFF this time around. (Almost enough to rot my teeth out) In all honesty, I think I will just stop the fic here, as it does accomplish what I had intended.

If enough people believe that I should continue the fic, then I will do so. However, it must be a good portion of my reviewers, not just a sparse few. I listen to my reviewers, and right now I am putting the option in your hands.

Reviews would be most welcome. It gives me satisfaction in knowing that people enjoy reading what I take the time to write.


	3. Atonement: Part I

**Of Swords and Claws**

Draknal: A bit late I know, but Happy New Year to everyone. Well, I left the story's fate up to you reviewers, and you have decided that the story shall continue on. Very well. It was your choice, so now I present the next chapter of "Of Swords and Claws."

Some of you believe that I made Soren seem a bit too "kind" in the last chapter. Well, he certainly doesn't have any reason to trust Lethe now, and he _did _already hit her twice with Elfire. That and he got her pretty good when she denied attacking Ike. I'd say he's satisfied with that for now.

If he had gone any further, I doubt Ike would approve of his actions. Hence why he let them remain the way they were earlier. Any and all restraint that he showed was because of Ike. Just keep that in mind.

Anywho, with that said it's off to the disclaimer and the story. Oh, and a big thank you to all of my reviewers. I appreciate it. Without you, I doubt I'd have any real confidence in my writing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or any of its characters, just the plot of this story.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Atonement: Part I**

Cracking his eyes open slightly, Ike found himself assaulted by the sun's first rays, which had managed to sneak in through a small opening in the tent's entrance flap. As much as he knew that he had to get up, he was tempted to return to the peaceful embrace of sleep. The last time he had slept so well… it had been before his father's death.

The young general had come to find that running an army was a _lot _different than running a group of mercenaries. With mercenaries, schedules and assignments were very flexible, and could often times be changed to fit one's own preferences. With an army though, everything had to be precise and calculated, like clockwork.

One would expect that with subordinates and sub-commanders, this would be an easy task. They would be gravely mistaken. Even though there were people to take the "load" off of Ike, all decisions still found their way back to him. Any and everything, from the assigning of patrols to the deciding of where to set up camp. They _all _came back to Ike. In truth, such things, especially the trifle and relatively unimportant ones, were starting to wear on his already thin nerves.

He spent numerous nights getting little rest thanks to this. This was one of the reasons that he had no interest in becoming a lord, someone of authority and power. He didn't want to be stuck doing this. All he wanted was to run his group of mercenaries the way his father would have. Instead he was stuck keeping things on track. They _had _to run smoothly. If things didn't, then their entire effort would be for naught, as the army would most likely fall apart.

So in essence, he was "taking one for the team." This team, however, just happened to be deciding the fate of not just Crimea, but the entire continent of Tellius. Failure was certainly not an option, and if he had to be the one to make sacrifices, then so be it.

Moving to stand, Ike felt himself held down by a weight of some kind. Looking down, he found a sleeping Lethe still lying against him. The blue haired mercenary could only grin, watching as the laguz took in small, even breaths. It was hard to believe that someone who was normally fierce and quick to jump to action, could look so peaceful and innocent.

'I would have thought she'd be up and gone by now,' he thought to himself. Under normal circumstances, the catgirl _would _be up and about already. In fact, he couldn't remember a day that Lethe _wasn't _up before the sun, off doing only the Goddess knew what.

Being careful not to wake the sleeping laguz, Ike extricated himself from her grip, then laid her down carefully. He reached for his cape, which was still wrapped around the orange haired girl, but by the way she was clinging to it, it didn't seem like he would be able to retake it easily.

Making his way towards the tent's exit, he stopped for a moment to grab his sword and his different armor components. Poking his head out of the tent briefly, he checked to make sure that no one else was up yet. If they saw him up and about, he'd surely be victim to an onslaught of questions regarding the events of the other day.

In all honesty, he wasn't ready to discuss such a matter with everyone else… yet. The beorc quietly made his way through the wooded area until he was sure he had put enough distance between himself and the camp. Kneeling down, he set the items he had been carrying on the ground. Being sure not to aggravate his injured arm, he began strapping on his armor. Every few seconds, he would stop and glare at his arm, cursing the fact that it made even the most simple tasks difficult now. Finally, after fumbling around with the various pieces, he had managed to equip his usual combat attire.

Strapping his sword scabbard to his belt proved a simple enough task, as he was used to doing that with his non-dominant hand normally. Wielding the sword, however, was a much different problem. He couldn't remember the last time he had practiced with only his left arm. He had spent training sessions swinging his weapon with _both _arms, but never just solely the left.

Looking back on that fact, he found himself slightly annoyed. After all, his father had once told him, "Practicing with only your strengths is like sharpening only a single point on a blade. While that one part remains sharp and deadly, the other parts continue to dull, and eventually become useless."

How he had overlooked such a small thing, he would never know. It irritated him to no end though. Ah, but sitting around contemplating such a thing would not help him gain more experience. Coming to that conclusion, the young general picked himself back up and continued his walk through the woods.

After a few more minutes of trekking, he found himself in front of a large lake. Barely making its way over the treetops, the sun's light was reflecting off of the water's surface, giving the area a serene and peaceful look. Listening for a moment, Ike heard the sound of running water, no doubt a tributary stream. This would make a perfect place to practice uninterrupted.

o-o-O-o-o

Peace and quiet were two things that Soren had come to enjoy, especially when they occurred at the same time. Unfortunately, ever since the Greil Mercenaries had expanded from being a simple traveling group of swords for hire, into an _army,_ he found that he didn't get to enjoy said things as much as he used to.

Sitting under the shade of a large tree, the Sage had decided to take some time early in the morning, to go over a few scrolls detailing more advanced levels of magic. Being the magically gifted person that he was, he was eager to expand his casting arsenal when given the chance.

Lately though, there had been so many interruptions that he had been unable to get around to it. Thankfully, with everyone still asleep he could have some time to himself. Just him and his scrolls-

"Hey Soren, do you know where Ike's at?"

Looking up, the raven haired boy glared at the person that had decided to take away from his studying time.

"He's sleeping, Ranulf. Is there something you need of him? Perhaps I can be of assistance in his stead," he informed the cat laguz, although his tone was slightly edgy.

The cap wearing laguz frowned slightly. "He's not sleeping. I already looked in his tent, and he's not there."

Soren could feel a tick of annoyance building up. Of course he was in his tent, he had just checked a few minutes ago! "I just recently looked in on him, Ranulf. He should still be there."

Soren let out a squawk of indignation as the teal haired laguz grabbed him by the arm and dragged him over to the tent. Pulling back the flap he took a look inside, where Ike's cape lay, a lump underneath of it.

"You see, he's still asleep. Now leave him be," the Sage ground out, hoping the Gallian commander would simply let the matter be.

The cat humanoid let out a brief chuckle, before sniffing in the direction of the lump. "Nope, that's not Ike. The cape may be his, but I can guarantee you that he's not the one under it. Unless of course…" his chuckling continued. "Unless he grew a tail."

"Wha-?" Soren stopped mid-word when indeed, he noticed an orange tail poking out from under the cape. His annoyance slowly began to turn to anger, then finally exasperation.

"That idiot…" Soren groaned. "He's in no condition to be traipsing about on his own, especially without notifying anyone! That's just like him…"

"I'm sure he's fine. But just in case, I'll find him," called out Ranulf as he took off into the woods. After all, then he would be able to have his chat with the young beorc mercenary.

Finding the beorc in question would be no trouble at all. While beorc in general can become adept in the fields of stealth and concealment, they have no way to stop their scent from spreading. That would normally make them easy prey for laguz, especially the beast tribe, who had the best sense of smell out of all the other laguz tribes, bar none.

The blue haired laguz didn't even have to stop and sniff every few minutes, trying to locate a trail. The scent of a recently acquired wound, even a healing one, was like a torch in the darkness, being almost impossible to miss. That being the case at present, Ranulf continued his hike through the wilderness, all the while wondering what the Crimean general was doing so far from camp.

o-o-O-o-o

"One… two… three…" Ike counted off, sword swinging with each listed number.

Guard, thrust, slash, slash, parry. To the untrained eye, his movements would have appeared fluent and quick, each strike utilizing a great deal of precision and power. His moves were relentless and seemingly unending. One swing of the sword would chain into another, then another. Performing so many continuous actions would leave any normal person winded after a simply a few minutes.

Any _normal _person would be impressed, or even in complete awe of the beorc and his swordplay. However, this was not the case with Ike. He _was _a trained swordsman, taught originally by his father, fine tuned by the wandering swordsman Stefan, and shown the ways of laguz combat by Lethe. This exercise he was performing now… it was many things. But all of the aforementioned praises, it was not…

Where people saw fluency, he saw ineptitude. Where they saw precision, he saw clumsiness. He found his swings to be lazy and reckless, lacking in everything that his father had ever taught him. He had failed to hone his skills in _each _arm, and because of that, he was performing poorly. That was not acceptable. But simply swinging a sword around in a few routine exercises was not going to make him better. A regular person would argue that this wasn't the case.

Well, he wasn't just any regular person, now was he? He was Ike, son of Gawain, former Rider of Daein. As such, he had a name, no, a _legacy _to live up to. Gawain was said to be the strongest of all the riders of Daein, perhaps even more powerful than the Black Knight. He had robbed himself of his sword wielding ability however, in his own grief. When that happened, he was Gawain no more. He became Greil, founder and commander of the Greil Mercenaries.

_That _was the man that Ike wanted to surpass. Not Gawain, Rider of Daein, but Greil, mercenary commander, kind and loving father. That was the man he had known his whole life, the man that he wanted so much in every way to emulate. He was strong, just, caring, and above all else, a _human being_.

By this, he didn't simply mean that he was a beorc. His father had shown a distinction between being a man and a monster. He was someone that possessed enough power to lay waste to any foe that dared stand before him. But he never did so if he could avoid it. He was a mercenary, someone looking for work wherever they could get it; but he never chose the dirty assignments.

Things like assassinations and slaughters… he never took them, even if they paid enough to keep him and his group wealthy for the rest of their lives. He _chose _not to perform such terrible deeds, and that only made Ike respect and revere his father even more. Greil would gladly place his own well being, financially or health-wise, in jeopardy if it meant helping someone else that had less.

Many people, especially the Daeins, laughed at such a notion, that one of their most powerful soldiers of all time could possibly fall so far. Ike wanted to show that they were wrong, and that his father was a great man. He would bring about the defeat of Daein, in his father's name. By trying to be everything his father was, and more, he would show that Greil was a man to be respected. He would show that Greil, not Gawain, was the mightier of the two personas.

He was Ike, leader of the Greil Mercenaries, and he would continue to honor his father through his own deeds. Greil's name would be renowned everywhere, as he continued to make a name for himself through Ike and his group. They were the Greil Mercenaries.

Ike let out a sigh as he decided to sit and take a break, his back against a tree. He set his sword down next to himself, then stared out over the lake, admiring the peaceful calm that set in around him. The sun had risen further up into the sky. How long had he been out there? One, maybe two hours?

One thing was for sure. When he got back either Soren or Titania, depending on who was angrier with him, were going to chew him out good for leaving camp like that. That being the case, he came to the decision that maybe he should enjoy the peace and quiet that he had to himself now.

Closing his eyes he allowed his senses to drift. He could feel the warmth of the sun on his skin. He could smell the crisp, clean water of the lake. He could hear the wind slightly rustling the leaves of the trees, birds chirping, a twig snapping off to his left-

Eyes flying open, Ike seized the hilt of his sword and immediately swung it to point in the direction of the new arrival. The sword's tip found its self just inches away from the throat of a surprised and slightly amused Ranulf.

"Gah, don't sneak up on me like that Ranulf," Ike groaned, lowering his weapon and closing his eyes again.

The laguz let out a laugh, brushing aside the perilous position he had been in just a few seconds ago. "Well, it looks like you've gotten better when it comes to detecting stealthy foes. Lethe told me that your skills with that were _horrendous _not too long ago."

Ah, such was Ranulf. The Gallian commander was able to make light of almost any situation, even one that might have put him in danger. Crossing his arms, the laguz leaned against Ike's tree.

"How'd you find me?" the general inquired. He was _sure _he had been as quiet as possible!

The cat humanoid pointed to his nose. "I was able to smell you out. Following _that_," he pointed to Ike's slung up arm, "Was pretty easy. And while we're on the subject, you wanna tell me how that happened?"

The mercenary groaned internally. He had been hoping no one would start asking about that. Ranulf was his friend, and he didn't want to lie to him, but he wasn't about to badmouth Lethe either. After all, he knew she didn't mean to attack him like that.

"Well… I was a little careless while training and-"

A "tsk" made him stop. Looking up he found Ranulf staring down at him, one eyebrow raised in a questioning manner. "Ike, I would have thought you'd trust me enough to tell me. Looks like Lethe really did a number on you."

The beorc was surprised. Had Soren mentioned something to him? "How did you…?" he trailed off, motioning to his injured arm.

The laguz feigned mock insult. "Do you know how pathetic that would be for me to _not _be able to recognize the handiwork of a fellow laguz?"

Of course. The cat members of the beast tribe always _did _have good eyes. But still, that left him to question other things.

"Well how do you know it wasn't one of the other laguz?" he asked, wanting further details on how he could tell so easily. A grin crossed the feline laguz's face. So, he wanted to play this game eh?

"The bird tribes don't have fangs when they transform, so that just leaves the beast tribe. Muarim and Mordeccai have bigger jaws, so the marks would have been farther apart. And if they_ had_ bitten you, you wouldn't still have your arm right now," he informed his friend.

He laughed internally as he saw the young beorc's face pale and his eyes widen slightly. "And unless I've been mauling beorc in my sleep again… that only leaves Lethe."

'Well so much for that,' the blue haired beorc thought miserably. With that said, he might as well just go ahead and retell the story.

And so he did. Throughout the entire thing, Ranulf remained silent, taking in every detail. It was hard for Ike to tell what his laguz friend made of all of this. Oddly enough he seemed calm about it all.

"And that's what happened…" Ike finished, waiting for some sort of response from the cat humanoid.

Placing a hand on his chin, Ranulf seemed to be thinking about what to say. What _would _he say? Would he condemn Lethe for her actions? Would he shrug it off? Would he recommend her being sent back to Gallia?

"Ranulf, she didn't mean to do it," he started, hoping to sway the laguz's feelings on the matter. "I'm sure it wasn't intentional. She was probably just confused."

Ranulf looked down at the leader of the Crimean army. "You're right Ike. She didn't intend to do that."

Ike let out a sigh, thanking the Goddess that Ranulf was and understanding person. With his support maybe he could convince everyone back at the camp to _not_ hate Lethe for her actions.

"She didn't intend to hurt you," Ranulf repeated, in a placating manner. "She intended to _kill _you."

What?! Ike couldn't believe his ears! Could he really have just heard that? There is no way that Ranulf could have just said that, and about a fellow laguz no less!

Ike was about to protest when the cap wearing laguz held up a hand to silence him, all the while shaking his head. "Let me continue Ike, uninterrupted please."

"You are aware of what a 'Feral One' is, correct?" he inquired. At the lord's nod he continued.

"A 'Feral One' is a laguz who has essentially been stripped of their sanity. Their mind is deteriorated, leaving only hate, anger, and the desire to kill," Ranulf explained, making the general worry slightly.

"Now, I'm not saying that Lethe is turning into a 'Feral One'. That isn't the case at all. What I'm getting at, is that those laguz are just acting on basic instincts, with no real sense of self. Similarly, that must have seemed how Lethe was acting when she did _that,_" he pointed at Ike's bad arm, "To you."

The mercenary nodded, but wondered where this was leading. Did this mean that something bad was happening to Lethe?

"Laguz have been known to go berserk from time to time. Two things can trigger this. Extreme anger, normally caused from pain, either mental or physical, is one thing. The other is an overwhelming amount of fear."

"When a laguz enters a berserked state, they are essentially acting in the same manner as a 'Feral One.' Their survival instincts kick in and they focus only on that, surviving. They can't distinguish friend from foe. They are all equally dangerous to them. They strike with the intention of _killing, _not injuring, their foe," the teal haired laguz informed, hoping that Ike wouldn't take this too badly.

To his credit, Ike didn't seem shocked or appalled, just curious. He appeared to be hanging on to every word that the laguz had to say. However, he _did _wonder how Ranulf knew so much about this. He had thought that the 'Feral Ones' were a new encounter for the laguz.

"Ike, you don't think that this is the first case of this happening do you?" he inquired.

"Well yeah, I did," the blue haired beorc answered honestly. "I've never heard of this sort of thing before."

Ranulf nodded in understanding. This was after all, a laguz affair, not a beorc one. It was natural that this sort of thing was new to him. "Ike, I'll have you know that even _I _have gone berserk before."

"Huh, I never would have guessed that. You seem too calm and composed for something like that to happen."

The laguz rubbed the back of his head while grinning sheepishly. "Yeah, well that's what a couple of years of experience will do for you. I lost control _way _back when. It was when I had first joined the Gallian army."

Ranulf tilted his head up towards the sky, in a reminiscing manner. "I was put under the command of a strict old alley cat by the name of Yerous. He was tough, mean, and above all, a prick. He would always undermine our abilities and tell us that we were no good."

He continued on with his story, only stopping to take a breath. "One day I was really fed up with him. He had gotten in my face and told me that I should just quit trying to be a good soldier, and that he'd rather command a beorc instead of me. That didn't sit too well with me and I guess I just snapped."

"What happened?" Ike asked, curious as to how this little turn of events worked out.

Ranulf chuckled. "I lost control and transformed. I was so intent on proving him wrong that I attacked him. I don't know exactly what went through my mind at the time, but it was probably something along the lines of _'Kill the geezer…' _who knows."

The two shared a brief moment of laughter. Once again, Ranulf was able to make light of a serious situation. Seeing that Ike was eagerly waiting, Ranulf resumed the story.

"Well, when a laguz loses control, we don't exactly remember much. I only heard this from the others that saw what happened. Apparently… Yerous wasn't expecting that to happen, and he was scared witless. I transformed and lunged at him, intent on teaching him not to underestimate me."

'Or to kill him, since we've already determined that's what berserked laguz _do,' _Ike thought to himself.

"Thankfully Master Giffca had been present at the time. He would occasionally leave the king's side to check on the new recruits and how their training was going. As soon as he saw me attack Yerous he was on me, and beat me senseless. When I woke up, I found myself recovering in a bed. He beat me enough to knock me out for a week straight!" he laughed, recalling what all his friends had told him when he woke up.

Now _that, _Ike found funny. He couldn't imagine a young and brash Ranulf, intent on defying superiors just to prove his worth. But then again, he _had _said that was years ago. Laguz age much slower than beorc, so it was probably _many _years ago, most likely before he and his sister had been born!

"Apparently," Ranulf went on, interrupting Ike's train of thought, "Commander Yerous decided to resign from the Gallian army after that, saying something about being _too old _for that stuff."

"I'll bet the other laguz trainees were happy to hear that," Ike laughed.

A grinning Ranulf answered with, "You have no idea. They called me a hero, even if they were only joking."

Letting out a sigh, Ike's thoughts drifted back to where their conversation had begun. "So… Lethe didn't have any control over what she did?"

"Pretty much," came the reply. "It just goes to show you, emotion can be a powerful thing. It can give anyone, laguz or beorc, a great deal of strength. Anger and fear just happen to be the two key ones. But these things can also cloud the mind. That is why you have to keep control over your emotions."

The blue haired lord took a moment to digest this piece of knowledge. His father had said something like that, shortly after he had begun to train Ike in the way of the sword. He told him, "Our emotions are what make us human, and they can be a great help to us, but you must know when to keep them in check. If you don't, you could lead yourself down the path of self destruction…"

Clearly what Ranulf said had some merit to it. He would certainly keep that lesson close to heart.

"So, you aren't mad at Lethe for what she did?" Ike inquired.

The laguz shrugged his shoulders. "Are _you?_"

"Of course not. I'm still alive aren't I? And now I know that she had no control over what she did, so why would I be mad about her trying to defend herself?"

A smile made its way over Ranulf's face. "That's a good way to look at it Ike. If you aren't mad, then I guess I'm not either. Something like that couldn't be helped."

"Well, I guess we should head back," Ike sighed. "After all, they might be worried about us being gone for so long. The place might fall apart."

His laguz companion nodded, before turning and making his way back towards the path he had originally come from. Gathering his things up, Ike quickly followed. He might have trekked out, but he sure as hell didn't know the way back! And he'd be damned if his guide took off without him.

"Oh, by the way Ike," Ranulf called from ahead.

"What is it?" the general asked, wondering if there was something important that the laguz had forgotten to tell him.

"Soren is _pissed _that you left without telling anyone, _and_ while in that condition," he laughed, listening as the mighty Mercenary Commander let out a groan.

It was going to be a _long _walk back…

o-o-O-o-o

Letting out a yawn, Lethe stretched out her stiff limbs. Now _that _had been a pleasant rest. Glancing around, she found that she had to squint, due to how much light was pouring into the tent. Wait… light? That meant the sun was already up! Blast, how had she slept for so long?

All living things, whether it be beorc, laguz, or other, have an internal biological clock. Her clock always, _always _woke her up before the sun came up. Why had it failed this time?

Sitting up for a moment, the catgirl thought back to what had happened the previous evening. Yet another moment of weakness… but this one had been different. Ike had been there, and he didn't think any less of her because of it. She was thankful of that. Any other beorc might have reveled in seeing a "subhuman" down and broken.

Getting to her feet she noticed something hanging off of her. Grabbing the offending article of dress, Lethe had come to the conclusion that it was Ike's. It carried his unique scent… metal, a bit of leather, and a smell she couldn't quite identify. It reminded her of nature itself. She could smell the trees, and grass, the soil, even the wind. She would have expected it to stink of the smell of beorc cities and large numbers of other beorc. This cape had seen quite a lot over the time that Ike had carried it in his possession.

Folding the article in half, she placed it back where she had fallen asleep. It was a kind act for him to have left it for her, and even though she wouldn't admit it, she was appreciative for it. However, odds were that he would want it back, so she might as well leave it where he would find it. Speaking of the blue haired lord…

"Where could he have gone off to?" she pondered.

Snapping her head in the direction of the tent's entrance, she could make out the sound of voices. One was rather loud and sounded as though… they were scolding someone? Moving back one of the flaps ever so slightly she could make out four figures on the edge of the camp.

"If you are planning on going off like that, at least _tell _someone!"

Ike had expected to get an ear full from Soren, and didn't even stop to consider _Titania._ The redhead Paladin had always been like a mother to him and Mist, ever since she had joined up with Greil. It was only natural that she be a bit angry about him pulling a stunt like that.

"Titania, I'm fine aren't I?" he asked, attempting to put up some form of resistance.

The mercenary sub-commander scowled. "And what if you had run into a Daein Patrol? Or worse, a _platoon _of soldiers?"

"I'm an adult, I can take care of myself," the mercenary remarked. The day he had taken over the role of Commander of the Greil Mercenaries was the day his "childhood" had truly ended and his life as an adult had begun. Why couldn't she see that?

Letting out a frustrated sigh, the ex-Crimean Royal Guard glared at the boy she had come to care for as a son. "You may be an adult, Ike, and you may be the son of Commander Greil. However, you are still just a beorc with _one _good arm! If you had been outnumbered or ambushed, you could have ended up dead! I've already lost Commander Greil… and I'm not going to lose you too."

Whatever retort he had planned on coming up with died in his throat…

"Look, I'm sorry Titania… I won't do it again, okay?" he offered, trying to keep her from having to bring up any more painful memories.

Her eyes seemed to soften a bit after hearing that. Maybe there was hope for this boy yet.

"Good. With your leave, sir, I'd like to return to my patrol."

The blue haired beorc nodded. "Of course, carry on."

Lethe let couldn't help but snicker at what she had just seen. Apparently Ike had done something that he shouldn't have. That resulted in him being reprimanded in the same manner that a parent would scold their child. Come to think of it, Ike was probably the only beorc in the camp that she could see something like that happening to.

Ike watched as Titania made her way over to her steed, before mounting and then galloping out of the camp. Turning to his raven haired friend he let out a groan.

"I don't suppose there's anything you'd like to add to what Titania said, hm?" he inquired.

A grin formed on the Sage's face. "Actually, she covered everything I had planned on saying, and more. Just don't act so rashly in the future, all right?"

Looking from Soren to Ranulf he found that the laguz sported a grin on his face as well. Ike raised an eyebrow, as if to ask 'What?'

"That was definitely worth being quiet to see," he laughed, before dashing off further into the camp as the Crimean General made a grab for him.

"I'll get him for that later…" Ike mumbled, before letting his attention revert back to Soren.

The Sage's mood had gone from jovial to serious, and he knew what that meant. He had discovered something about the enemy's movements or plans.

"What is it Soren?" Ike asked, turning on his heel and making his way towards the tactical command tent. The branded boy soon fell in step beside him, a scroll in his hand.

o-o-O-o-o

Clearing off the large center table in the tent, Soren unrolled the scroll and stepped back, allowing for Ike to take a moment to look over its contents. Anxiously, the blue haired lord glanced over the document.

"What exactly is so important about this Soren?" he asked, his good arm scratching his chin in puzzlement.

He had expected enemy battle plans, or a document from King Gallia, or _something. _This was… a map. To be precise, it was a map of the surrounding area, with a few marks on it. There were no movement indicators, so it _couldn't _be about current troop movements, and there were no large markings to indicate enemy encampments, so what was the meaning of it?

"I believe things might be made a little more clear with this," the spellcaster remarked, pulling a smaller scroll from his robes. Handing it over to his friend, he watched with curiosity, wondering if he could piece together the clues he was giving him.

Taking the scroll, Ike opened it and read over its contents. It was some manner of list, but with markings… which were identical to the map. Ah, it was a key!

Looking at the key, he found a small lance drawn, and next to it was the word "Halberdier". Looking down at the map he found the same mark. In a matter of minutes he was able to match up each mark with each represented unit.

"Soren," he started, slightly uncertain. "This is a map of the battle that took place two days ago, isn't it?"

'I knew you were smarter than you gave yourself credit for Ike,' he praised mentally. Perhaps his astuteness was starting to rub off on the Crimean general.

The raven haired boy nodded. "That is correct Ike. I gathered information from our troops as to the placement of the enemy two days ago. This should be an accurate duplication of the battle formations."

Ike continued to look over the map. Soren had made it clear that this was important, but the question was, how? What significance could such a map possibly have?

"I'm sorry Soren but I still don't understand what you're trying to get at," the lord apologized.

The Sage shook his head. "Don't worry about it Ike. I almost missed it myself. We were so caught up with the battle at the time that I think _everyone _neglected to notice."

"And that would be…?" Ike inquired.

"Look over the map Ike," he suggested, moving his arm over the map in a sweeping motion. "Do you notice anything missing?"

Ike was about to ask what he meant, when it came to him. There _was _something missing.

"Laguz…" he mumbled.

The branded boy gave a brief smirk. "Exactly. We didn't expect-" he stopped mid-word. Ike found his friend glaring in the direction of the tent's entrance. "You can stop hiding now," he practically growled.

Ike was slightly confused by this, as he hadn't seen or heard anyone. "Soren, I don't think there's anyone there."

Said Sage continued glaring in the direction of the entrance, clearly not paying attention to his friend at the moment. After a moment of nothing happening, he picked up his tome from the table, muttered a few words, and set a Wind spell flying at the tent's entrance.

The unfortunate tent flap never stood a chance, as it was torn to shreds almost instantaneously. This act made Ike raise an eyebrow, and temporarily question his friend's sanity. "Soren, why did you-?"

"Hmph," came an indignant grunt from the tent's newly enlarged entrance. "Watch where you throw those spells, beorc," growled an irate Lethe.

"I'll be sure not to miss next time…" Soren mumbled under his breath so that only he could hear. "If you had simply left when I told you to, rather than continue eavesdropping, that wouldn't have happened."

The laguz was not put off by this remark and, instead of leaving, entered the tent and made her way over to where Ike and Soren were examining a map of some sort.

Stopping next to Ike, the orange haired laguz began looking the map over. She was forced to stop, however, when the document was abruptly removed from the table by a slightly irked Soren.

"This information does not concern you, so I ask that you take your leave." Soren's tone was neutral, but it held an underlying note of irritation and slight anger.

"And that is where you are wrong. I heard you mention laguz. If you are talking about my people, then this _does _concern me," Lethe shot back.

Ike wanted to slap his forehead in agitation. He knew this would happen. Soren was _still _mad about what Lethe had done. And Lethe was, well… being Lethe.

"She has a point Soren," he remarked. "Just continue with what you were saying. She won't interrupt."

Lethe almost raised an eyebrow at this, wondering who _he _was to make decisions for her. However, she also remembered that he was her commanding officer, _and _a person she was currently indebted to. She felt a pang of guilt as her gaze wandered down to his injured arm, reminding her of what she had done.

o-o-O-o-o

Soren was tempted to say "No" and simply wait for Lethe to leave, but his better judgment won out. With a sigh, the Sage set the map back out and tried to pretend that a certain cat laguz was not in the room with them at the moment.

"Well, as I was saying, there was a complete lack of laguz in that battle. Subsequently, the fight that took place at Castle Delbray was free of enemy laguz as well."

"Okay, so why do you think that is?" Ike inquired. "Do you think Daein just decided not to use them anymore?"

A shake of his head was Soren's immediate response. "No, that would be contradictory to their current tactics. To them, the laguz are nothing more than fodder, large meat shields with which to take the brunt of their enemies' attacks. They believe that wasting 'human' lives before 'subhumans' is pointless."

Ike noticed how Lethe's tail was now swinging back and forth in a quick, flicking motion. That normally meant that she was agitated. Perhaps it was best to steer the conversation away from the word 'subhuman' for a bit. After all, most laguz _did _despise that word, and with good reason.

"Do you have any theories as to _why _they aren't sending feral laguz at us anymore?" the lord asked.

The Sage crossed his arms, letting out a sigh. "I have a few. There is a chance that they are instead using the laguz for other matters, perhaps a different front of the war? Whatever it is, it's big, and they are in a rush to finish their work. The force that attacked the camp two days ago was just a diversionary force. They are trying to buy themselves time."

"Maybe they ran out of laguz to use," Lethe suggested, not wanting to be left out of the matter.

"Not likely," the raven haired caster interjected. "They seemed to have a decent stockpile of laguz. It isn't very likely that they'd just throw all of them at us at one time."

"Laguz are stronger than you think. The beorc were probably unable to capture any more."

Soren frowned slightly. Why couldn't she just let the matter drop? "Oh yes, we've seen how competent the laguz are when it comes to evading capture, _thus far._"

Ike could tell this was getting volatile, and fast. The first punch had just been thrown. He would have to put a stop to this before things got seriously out of hand. "Alright you two, that's enough. We need to focus on discovering what Daein is up to."

Unfortunately, the young general's words fell on deaf ears.

"Perhaps their beorc tricks and traps are no longer enough to catch the laguz," the orange haired shapeshifter growled.

"Their capture was well deserved if they were foolish enough to be caught by such things in the first place," Soren retorted.

"Both of you, that's _enough,_" Ike tried again. However, once more his words failed to have any effect.

"Or maybe the _trustworthy _beorc of Begnion are supplying laguz slaves to the Daeins, and they are just behind with their trades!"

Clearly the recent past events, involving the illegal laguz slavers in Begnion, had not been forgotten.

"Well maybe the laguz turned on their allies and ki-!"

"_THAT'S ENOUGH!" _Ike roared, slamming his good hand down on the table, immediately gaining the attention of the other two people present. "The two of you are supposed to be allies! Start acting like it and drop the animosity! If you want to kill each other then wait until the war is over!"

With a "hmph" and glare sent at each of his friends, the blue haired mercenary quickly made his exit, leaving the tent's two other occupants to stare in shock.

A few seconds later Soren gathered his wits, as well as his scrolls, and left as well, off to dwell on his thoughts no doubt.

Lethe let out an aggravated sigh. Beorc were just so frustrating sometimes! Following Soren's example she left the tent. But rather than heading off to set about with her own devices, she instead decided to seek out Ike.

Following his scent, she was able to track him through the woods. She found him, but in a very unlikely place… It was the clearing where, _it _had happened. The beorc was laying on his back, sprawled out underneath the shade of a large tree, staring up at the foliage above him.

"Father… how did you do it…?" he mumbled, watching the branches of the tree above him sway back and forth in the breeze, as if he was expecting them to answer. "How did you put up with stuff like this?"

Crossing her arms, the laguz pondered on whether she should leave the lord alone and head back to camp, or make her presence known. After a moment of indecision, she stepped out into the clearing, and walked over to where the beorc lay.

-End Chapter-

* * *

Draknal: Well, this is just kind of a filler chapter. What I _wanted _to have happen would have doubled this chapter's length. So instead, I'm breaking this up into two chapters. The next update will be a _lot _sooner than this one was. Honestly, I hadn't expected so many people to want me to continue on with this, so I didn't have anything planned at first.

I'm sure that many of you want to scream, "Filler!" but rest assured, it is not. Anything mentioned in this chapter will be important for later on, I promise you.

Please review. I appreciate knowing that you readers appreciate what I do. Thanks.


	4. Atonement: Part II

**Of Swords and Claws**

Draknal: I'm glad to see so many of you enjoy reading my story. I've seen it in many a review, and yes, I am trying to keep everyone as "in character" as I can. That is one of the reasons the updates take as long as they do sometimes. I try to analyze the situation from the character's point of view and figure out what they would do. This chapter _may _break that pattern though. I hope not.

Anywho, thanks for being patient about this update. Now, please enjoy the next chapter of, Of Swords and Claws.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or any of its characters, just the plot of this story.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Atonement: Part II**

Ike could tell that someone had entered the clearing and was heading toward him. It wasn't an enemy, because they were making no effort to be quiet in their approach, and there was no clanking of armor. So rather than turn his head to see the new arrival, the lord simply continued staring upwards into the thick canopy of leaves.

Not a moment later, he found his vision blocked by the visage of a curious Lethe, who was leaning over him. 

"I don't see why the two of you can't just get along with each other," he remarked offhandedly.

He watched as the laguz's ears twitched, and a frown made its way to her face. "I had no quarrel with him," came the response from the shapeshifter. "Until he let his anger get the better of him."

'And you didn't?' the lord pondered.

He knew better than to voice his opinion. He'd seen enough of the catgirl's volatile temper in the past to know when to keep things to himself. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy what little semblance of peace that existed for the moment, no matter how brief.

Taking his silence to be a gesture of agreement or uncertainty, the laguz decided not to press the issue any further. Taking a seat beside the young beorc, she took a moment to study him.

He seemed troubled, which was evident from how his brow was furrowed as he stared up at the tree branches and partly visible sky above. What he had mumbled before she walked over to him also weighed slightly on her mind.

"Something is bothering you." It was a statement, not a question.

The beorc it was directed at merely gave her a sideways glance, before replying, "It's nothing Lethe. I'm just a bit tired, that's all."

"You beorc are terrible at lying," she scoffed. "You say you are tired, but your tone and body language disagree with your reasoning."

There were times that Ike wanted to curse the Goddess for giving laguz such acute senses. This was one such time. It was hard to keep anything from a laguz, especially when they were able to pick up on the most subtle of things.

Letting out a sigh, Ike found himself waging a war within his mind. Confide in the laguz, or just try and avoid the subject? Lethe didn't seem like the kind of person to go spilling another person's secrets, so why not?

"Well, I'm starting to think that I may not be cut out for this leadership position. Don't get me wrong, it's nice being the one who gets the final say in things, but… I just don't feel that it's for me. My place is as a mercenary, not some general," the blue haired lord remarked.

"So you are starting to doubt yourself?" the laguz inquired, turning towards the beorc and resting her chin in one hand, her arm propped up by an elbow.

The lord continued staring up at the sky. _Was_ he afraid? _Did _he doubt himself? No, it wasn't that. He was just uncomfortable with being in charge of so many, and being pinned to this position of lordly status.

"Ha. You beorc are odd, your words always going against your actions. You doubt your abilities, and become uncertain. But look at the many victories you have gained," the laguz reasoned. She didn't need to wait for Ike to respond to her earlier question. His silence had been enough of an answer. 

"You are a warrior, regardless of your position as a leader or follower. It is as simple as that. Follow what you believe, and do what you think is best. You can not ask for more than that."

It was such a simplistic view, but then, it was the view of someone who spent most of their life on the front lines, fighting, or serving their country in some other way. However, how basic an ideal it was did not change the fact that it held a great deal of truth.

Thinking on it, his father would probably have said the same thing. 'Follow what you believe, and do what you think is best.' 

Actually, looking back on their campaign so far, that is what he _had _been doing. He didn't think of it that way though. To him, he had simply been "winging it" as best as he could. Throw together a strategy before each battle, improvise on the battlefield, make sure everything kept moving along at a decent pace, it was pretty low quality stuff to him.

But then again, the simplest plan was always the easiest to follow. Wow, that was certainly an eye opener for the young lord. Was that how his father had done it, before Soren, or a tactician of some kind had joined up with the mercenaries? His father was a warrior, not a strategist, so he probably did! Oh what irony!

Lethe found it slightly disconcerting when the blue haired mercenary suddenly began to laugh. It wasn't a chuckle, or the usual half-hearted laugh that he used when out on the battlefield, or even around others in the camp. This one sounded so much more… free, like some great weight had been lifted.

She was curious, but she wasn't about to keep the beorc from enjoying his little moment of peace. Instead, she gave Ike a questioning look, which, after a few more moments of laughter, he took notice of.

"I'm sorry Lethe. It's just, you made me realize something," he answered, a smile adorning his features, most likely a remnant of the earlier laughter. Sitting up, the lord turned to fully face his companion.

"I've been so caught up in doing things right, and making sure that everyone approves of my actions, that I'd forgotten that it isn't about that at all. It's about how _I _think things should be done, and that I do them as well as I can, without worrying about everyone else's opinions."

Truthfully, Lethe was confused. She had merely told him her personal feeling on the matter, her own belief. Had he really found it to be so useful? It was slightly amusing actually. A beorc finding advice from a laguz as useful?

"Hey Lethe, I never did ask, but why are you out here?"

Hmm… she had expected the mercenary to make such an inquiry earlier than this. "I was looking for you," she replied.

Ike's response was a single raised eyebrow. "It has been a while since you taught me to wield a sword. I wish to test myself against you."

She noticed the blue haired general glance down at his injured arm for a moment, before returning his attention to her. "I can understand if you aren't… in the necessary condition for dueling," the laguz muttered. Just one more thing he was incapable of doing thanks to her recklessness…

"No, it's fine," the beorc answered warmly. "One arm should be all I need to beat you in a match," he stated with a chuckle.

"We'll see about that!" the catgirl challenged. "I have improved since you last instructed me."

He knew that Lethe would not back down now. Not after he had jokingly issued such a challenge to the Gallian warrior. They took such matches seriously, and he was now obligated to follow through.

Getting to his feet, the beorc casually wiped the dirt from his clothing, before starting his return trek towards the camp. "Wait here. I'll be back after I grab the training equipment," he informed his friend.

The laguz nodded, then returned to laying out on the grass, allowing herself to relax for a few moments. It wasn't every day that she was given time to lounge around for a bit. She usually kept herself busy with training or scouting, so why not just rest for a bit? There wasn't anything better to be doing at the moment.

o-o-O-o-o

Making it back to the Crimean camp, Ike immediately sought out the supply tent, where he kept his training materials. He hadn't used them since he had trained Lethe in the art of swordsmanship, so there was no point to keep them on hand. Rather, he had stored them away with the other ­"less used" supplies.

Before that, he hadn't used them… well, the last time they had been used before that was when his father had finished training _him._ When Stefan had helped him polish his sword skills, they had used _real _swords. The Swordmaster hadn't held back either. Even _now _Ike could feel phantom pains of his "training sessions" with the sword hermit.

'I wish he hadn't been so… forceful with those lessons,' Ike sighed mentally. 'I wonder where he learned to fight like that-'

"My lord Ike?"

Those three words jerked Ike from his reminiscing. Only one person addressed him in such a manner. Looking over his shoulder, the general noticed that he had just passed the princess's tent, where she was now standing outside of. 

"Is there something you need Elincia?" he asked, hoping there wasn't an urgent matter that required his immediate attention. The day had turned out so well so far. Well, except for the scrap between Soren and Lethe…

The young woman gave a lighthearted smile before beckoning him over. "If I may have a moment of your time, sir Ike."

Turning, she led the blue haired mercenary inside of her tent. Upon entering, Ike noticed that three other people were already there. He took a moment to glance over each one. 

The first was a man with blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. His black cloak hung about him in a manner that gave him a look of importance. He had an air of nobility about him as well. The man's own calculating eyes were taking in Ike's appearance.

The other two persons, and young man and woman, looked like they were possibly related. Each had teal hair, which was not a particularly common color. The man looked like a military leader, which he could tell from looking at his posture. The amount of armor he equipped with also helped to identify that.

The woman was… harder to read. He could tell that she was probably a sword wielder, most likely a Swordmaster, from her attire. She wore a white trench coat and had a sword strapped to her side. He would have to duel her, when he was back a full strength, as there might be something that she could teach him. After all, every swordsman, expert or not, had something to offer. That was something his father had told him.

"My lord Ike, I would like you to meet Bastian, Geoffrey, and Lucia." Each person gave a nod as their name was called out.

The general was slightly caught off guard as the blonde man, Bastian, stepped forward and gave a deep bow. "Ah, so you are the young hero who has kept our fair princess safe from the dastardly clutches of the Daein fiends!"

As he came out of his bow, the man suddenly sported a grin. "Never can we hope to fully repay you for all that you have done for our future Queen. But alas, I offer my services to you in this time of growing danger, as the final confrontation draws near!"

"Alright…" Ike answered unsurely. "May I ask what it is you do, Bastian was it?"

"I am a master of the arcane arts, as it were, a wielder of the elements. I am a Sage of many talents, and one of noteworthy skill," he beamed.

'Well, we could always use more spell casters,' Ike noted to himself. "But, what is it that you do for Crimea?" he inquired. 

Ah, this boy was a bright one. He wanted more background information. "I dabble in the political affairs of Crimea and take action when deemed necessary," the blonde answered, the same grin still on his face.

Ike made a mental note to be careful around this man. He was a politician, and he had a silver tongue to boot. People involved in politics were people that Ike did _not _like to associate with. They liked nothing more than to look out for themselves and seek personal gain, not caring about others. Still… if Elincia trusted him, maybe he wasn't all that bad.

As Bastian took his place next to the princess, the teal haired man, Geoffrey, came forward and extended his hand to the young lord, who took the offered appendage and gave a firm shake.

"Well met," the man acknowledged. "As you know, I am Geoffrey, commander of the forces of Delbray Castle. I had not expected the army's general to be one so young."

"Is that going to be a problem?" Ike inquired. If he didn't know any better, this man was underestimating him.

Geoffrey took a moment to study Ike. "No. I'm sorry if I offended you, but I was merely caught off guard. If you are in charge of this army, then it is because you are a capable leader. Elincia would not allow it otherwise."

Said princess smiled at Ike. The son of Greil was slightly embarrassed at the praise, but managed to compose himself nonetheless. 

Standing at attention, Geoffrey gave the younger beorc a salute. "I look forward to lending you the strength of my lance in battle, sir."

Ike nodded, and returned the salute. After which, the Paladin stepped back next to his liege. The final person present, Lucia, came forward. It looked as though she was going to shake Ike's hand, but instead with a quick flicking motion her sword had been drawn from its sheath.

With almost catlike speed, she darted forward and made a slash at the boy. Ike, caught off guard for only a moment, leapt backwards while drawing his own weapon. The two swords met with a metallic clang. Their eyes met for a moment, and even though Ike knew he was at a disadvantage with only one good arm, he did not flinch when looking at the other swordsman.

Out of the other people present in the room, only Elincia, who had stifled a gasp, seemed surprised by this action. Bastian's eyes seemed to glimmer with a mischievous spark of knowing, as if he had been _expecting _Lucia to do that.

Looking back to Lucia, he saw the Swordmaster smiling. She pulled back her weapon and immediately re-sheathed it. Cautiously, Ike did the same. 

"Sorry about that," the teal haired girl offered. "There was something I had to see for myself." 

This time, she _did_ extend her hand for Ike to shake, which he did, albeit a bit curtly. He wasn't used to being attacked by his allies at a first meeting.

"My name is Lucia, and as you can see, I am a practitioner of the sword. My brother Geoffrey, and I, along with Bastian are retainers for princess Elincia."

Ah, so _these _three were the retainers that Soren had mentioned earlier. And as he had suspected, Lucia and Geoffrey were related. Well, at least that cleared up a _few _things.

The Swordmaster noticed that Ike was still slightly edgy at the moment, probably from her previous action. Standing at attention, she bowed to the younger beorc. "I apologize general. I will not take such an action against you again, and if I have offended you, then I did not mean to do so."

Ike found himself sighing in irritation, slightly because of the woman's actions, and slightly because of his own forgiving nature. "It's fine, really. However, if you wish to test my swordsmanship in the future, you need only ask me to practice with you. Is that understood?"

The sword wielder nodded, before stepping back next to her brother. A pregnant silence settled over the occupants of the tent, and Ike came to find that each person assembled in front of him was staring intently at him. Oh hell, they were expecting some sort of speech…

That was just one more thing he hated about his new status of "lord". People expected him to give speeches and morale boosting talks, and so on…

He was a fighter, not some deceitful politician. His forte was with wielding a sword in combat, not using suave, complex words with which to poison the ears of others. However, he hardly seemed to get a choice in the matter.

Cursing mentally, Ike looked from one person to the next. Each of them were respectfully waiting for him to begin. "I am Ike, commander of the Greil mercenaries, and currently the general of the Crimean Army. Just because I rank above you does mean that I think I am superior to any of you, or that you are below me. If you need to speak with me, do not hesitate to. If you would make suggestions about how things should be done, then I encourage you to do so."

"I see the word 'general' as that, only a word. It does not change who or what I am, which is a fellow comrade and a warrior. I am young, and as such I am not as experienced in the ways of combat as some of you may be, so please feel free to offer your council when you desire. I look forward to fighting alongside each of you."

The room remained deathly silent. Had he done something wrong? "Ah, truly we are blessed by the Goddess to have a leader so modest and honorable!" Bastian began. "To throw aside one's rank to encourage fellow comrades, it is an act worthy of such a hero as yourself."

Nods of approval came from each other person present. Mentally grinning in triumph, Ike was glad that he had paid attention to Soren's expansive vocabulary from time to time, or else he might not have been able to pull that little speech off.

"I'm sorry, but I must excuse myself. There's something I have to take care of," the lord commented, before making his exit and heading off to the supply tent.

So… Bastian, Geoffrey, and Lucia. He was sure that each of them had their strengths, but as far as combat capability, he had only been able to gauge Lucia's, as she had taken the… initiative. In all truth, he wanted to see if Bastian had the skills to back up his words. Geoffrey, if he was anything like his sister, would be a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Silently, he thanked the Goddess that they were on Crimea's side.

o-o-O-o-o

Entering the supply tent, he was surprised to find it _clean _for once. Everyone else had been so busy with planning and training, that they hadn't been afforded the time to clean the mess up. Also, who in their right mind would _want _to tackle a mess like that?

It had to have been one of the merchants traveling with them… probably Aimee, trying to get on his good side. The young lord felt an involuntary shiver run up his spine. If he could manage it, he would avoid the woman whenever possible. There was just something not right about her…

Locating his training supplies, which were neatly rolled up in a cloth, Ike grabbed them and made all haste out of the tent and away from camp. The longer he stuck around, the more likely it was that he'd be detained again. Lethe was most likely livid already, after having to wait so long for him to return.

Entering the clearing, Ike found the laguz on her back, in the same position that he had been in when Lethe first came across him. If she noticed he was there, she didn't show it. Not an ear twitch, a flick of her tail, _nothing._

Sneaking over as best he could, Ike peered down at the catgirl, and to his amusement, found that she was asleep! Oh, what a hypocrite she was, telling him that he needed to learn how to listen for stealthy enemies better! A mischievous smile made its way to his face.

"LETHE!" he shouted, trying to hold back his laughter. 

The feline laguz jerked awake and let out a shriek, before backing up as quickly as she could with her legs. Taking a moment to get her bearings, she found a rather amused Ike laughing, clutching his side with his one good arm.

Letting out a growl, Lethe stalked over to the beorc, and glared at him. "Something you find funny, beorc?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Giving an apologetic smile, Ike managed to cease his laughter. "I'm sorry Lethe, but I couldn't help myself. I thought you said laguz were good at noticing quiet opponents?"

"You merely caught me off guard!" she retorted, hoping he would leave it at that.

"Whatever you say," he grinned, opening his rolled up supplies. It was just as he had left them. Two wooden training swords, two leather arm guards, and… a piece of parchment?

Picking it up, he read the contents of the document over, and paled slightly. Noticing this, Lethe inquired what it was about. 

"Nothing!" Ike answered quickly, a little _too _quickly. "Nothing at all!"

The violet eyed laguz was not satisfied with the answer. Making her way behind the lord, she attempted to look over his shoulder and see what the parchment was about. Holding the note close to himself, Ike refused to allow her even a glance.

Darting around in front of the beorc, Lethe seized a hold of his good arm with one hand, and used the other to pry the note from his grip, before dashing away, Ike hot on her heels.

"That was unfair!" the lord protested. "You have _two _good arms! Give that back!"

Chuckling to herself, Lethe glanced over the contents of the note.

_Commander, or should I say, _General _Ikey-poo, I took the liberty of cleaning the supply tent for you. I know how much of a hassle it is to deal with such disorganized supplies, so I thought you might appreciate this, as a gesture of my love for you. It was hard to do, but I merely thought of you and how much this would help you, and that gave me the strength to continue working. If there is anything else you want me to help you with, well, don't hesitate to ask._

_Forever yours and with all my love, _

_Aimee._

She noticed that there were also hearts drawn by Ike's name. 'My, how… embarrassing.'

Before she could think on it further, Ike caught up to her and snatched the paper back, before quickly tearing it to pieces, then grinding it into the earth with the heel of his boot. How he had managed to tear it apart so easily with only one hand she would never know.

"You did _not _read the note, and for that matter there _was _no note," the Crimean general nearly growled.

Lethe fixed the beorc with a look of slight confusion. It was a note. What was there to be worried about? Did he take her for the type of person to just spread rumors or lies?

"Stop worrying about that Ike," she drawled. "I won't say anything about what that beorc woman wrote."

Ike let out a sigh of relief. Had someone like Ranulf or Boyd read the note, _then _he would have reason to worry. But Lethe was, fortunately, more responsible than that. 

o-o-O-o-o

With the document destroyed, Ike went over to the roll of equipment and retrieved his training gear. Tossing one sword to Lethe, he watched as she took a few practice swings and slashes. He followed up by handing her an arm guard. 

Ike forewent the use of an armguard, as his non-dominant hand was currently being used as his normal sword arm. Taking a few steps back, putting some distance between himself and Lethe, Ike assumed a fighter's stance. Lethe followed suit, with a stance that was all too familiar to him.

For a moment, neither one moved. To anyone else, it would appear as though the two were having a staring contest. Ike found this to be odd. Normally, Lethe would simply charge in and attack. This time, however, she seemed to be analyzing Ike and his movements, or at this point, a lack thereof.

Her eyes held a spark of mischief. She could tell that Ike was wondering why she hadn't blindly charged forward yet. Ike had told her that being a swordsman wasn't just about mastering the weapon, but it was a matter of learning to adapt to any situation. She would show him just _how well_ she could adapt.

Seeing that his friend was not going to make the first move, Ike decided to take the initiative. Putting his weapon in a guard position, he began to advance toward the other sword wielder. A spectator might describe the beorc's advance as just a casual walk, as he certainly didn't seem to be in any rush.

'So, he wants to pressure me into attacking first,' the laguz grinned. Even with her training partner making his way toward her, Lethe, to her credit, remained calm, composed, and still.

When he was no more than six feet from his companion, Ike made his move. Sprinting forward, he took to the air with a leap, attacking his opponent with a mighty downward slash. The laguz rolled out of the way and attempted to strike the lord as he made his descent.

Using the momentum of his first swing, Ike brought his weapon to his side, blocking the catgirl's strike. Rather than putting distance between himself and the cat humanoid, the blue haired beorc opted to perform a quick twist of his body, lashing put with his weapon. He had been hoping to catch Lethe off guard with the follow up attack, but she simply ducked under the attack.

Going for a more unorthodox attack, the laguz struck Ike with a kick to his midsection. It seemed as though the Crimean general had made a mistake in staying so close to his opponent.

Staggering backwards, the lord took a moment to take catch his breath, as the last attack had forced the air from his lungs. 'She's improved a bit since last time,' the avenger thought to himself.

She had made the _first__strike _of the match. That in itself was an accomplishment, but Lethe would not let herself become cocky due to one small achievement. She was fighting to _win, _not to just get in a first hit. And to do that, she would have to keep up her momentum. Keeping that in mind, the laguz dashed forward to prevent the mercenary from regaining his bearings and then going on the offensive. If she could force him to play defense, he would surely slip up.

Ike was slightly surprised when Lethe came at him with a forward thrust of her weapon. Dodging around the attack, the lord managed to catch her in her back with a strike from the flat side his training sword. Remembering his laguz training, he followed up by sweeping the catgirl's legs out from under her. He would have continued with another attack, but elected to instead take a moment to finish catching his breath.

Springing back to her feet, Lethe found the blue haired beorc waiting for her, sitting in a defensive stance. Damn, that is what she had been trying to prevent! Cursing under her breath, the swordswoman began looking for weaknesses in the beorc's stance.

An obvious weak point was his right side, as that arm was out of commission. He would be expecting that though… but that didn't mean that she couldn't try and utilize it in some way. After all, to just pointedly ignore such an opening, it would be a waste. 

Steeling herself, Lethe willed herself forward, intent on defeating the blue haired mercenary. Ike was not content to just sit back and play defense however, and he too charged forward to meet his foe. Each sword wielder threw out an attack, and both found their attacks blocked by the other's sword. The match had gone from friendly to heated in a matter of seconds. Both beorc and laguz were striking with a flurry of attacks. 

None of the strikes ever connected with anything but the other person's sword though. So lost in the fight were they, that they failed to notice the creaking and groaning protest of their weapons, as they met blow after blow.

After a few moments of traded attacks, the two leapt apart, each breathing heavily. 

"Lethe," the blue eyed boy called out. "How about we let this next attack decide the match?"

The laguz nodded her consent. "That's fine." After a moment she added, "Or you could just surrender."

Ike let out a chuckle, wondering if she thought he would actually consider such a thing. Changing his stance, he prepared to make good on his word and finish the match with this attack.

At the other's nod, they moved. Right before one reached the other they enacted their attacks. Ike lashed out with a horizontal slash while Lethe countered with a vertical downward slash, leaving the attacks to meet once again.

A loud **CRACK** was the only noise that rang out in the otherwise silent clearing. Each fighter was shocked to see their weapon splinter into disuse, chunks of the wooden training swords flying in opposite directions.

The two stood for a moment, looking at the hilts of their weapons, the only intact part remaining. They looked from their broken weapons, to each other. The silence between the two only lasted a few seconds, before Ike began to chuckle. That chuckle soon turned into full blown laughter. The blue haired avenger was surprised when he was joined in his laughter by the laguz next to him.

It was times like this that Ike enjoyed, being able to just… be himself and just relax with a friend. He had not been afforded too many times such as this after he was put in charge of the Crimean Army.

Regaining her composure, Lethe looked at her broken weapon, then to Ike. The match wasn't over yet! She would be damned if she was going to have it be called a draw.

The poor lord had no idea what hit him when he was suddenly tackled to the ground. All he knew was that one minute he had been laughing, and now he was on his back. Looking up he found a pair of violet eyes gazing back at him. He tried to move, but quickly found that he was being held in place. 

Lethe had secured the beorc's one good hand by gripping his wrist and keeping it out to his side, and prevented the rest of him from moving by straddling his waist. Her other free hand was pushing down on his right shoulder (A/N: Ike's right, her left), in case he tried to move it somewhat.

Ike had managed to piece together what had happened in a few seconds, and came to the conclusion that the match was still on. However, in their current… _very compromising _position, there wasn't much Ike could do. He could feel his body heating up from their close proximity, and their aforementioned compromising positions certainly didn't help things either.

'Goddess help me if Soren or Ranulf sees us like this…' Ike thought miserably.

"Do you concede, Ike?" came his friend's query.

Looking at the laguz's face, he noticed she was wearing, what could only be described as, although crudely, a "shit eating grin." In his current position, it was clear to Ike that he had lost, _for the moment._

Oh, his friends would _certainly _give him hell if they saw what he was about to do…

Lifting his head, Ike managed to move just enough to that their faces were mere inches apart. "Are you sure that surrender is my only option?" he whispered.

He could have _sworn _that he saw a blush creep its way on to the laguz's face, if only for a moment. She was completely at a loss for words, refusing to believe that Ike had just performed such a bold, and normally uncharacteristic move. In her shock, she slightly released her grip on Ike.

And that was all the lord needed. With a quick jerk of his legs and hips, he managed to push the laguz off of him, and by holding onto her and using her momentum, he flipped the positions they had been in mere moments ago. His one good hand was keeping both of the laguz's arms pinned above her head.

"What was it you asked earlier Lethe?" he began, grinning triumphantly all the while. "Do you concede?"

The shock of Ike's previos move having worn off, the catgirl could only grit her teeth and growl in response. 

"I'll take that as a 'no'," the Crimean general sighed. "Well, I guess the match ends with a draw then."

Releasing the laguz, Ike got to his feet and dusted himself off. Extending a hand, he helped his friend to her feet, then set about picking up what remained of the training gear. 

o-o-O-o-o

When everything was gathered, the two set off towards camp. An uncomfortable silence seemed to settle over the two, and as Lethe had come to find, she _hated _those kinds of silences. 

"You know, that was an unfair trick you used earlier. I should have won," Lethe noted, remembering what had transpired during their duel.

Ike could only rub the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, you _are _supposed to use any tool at your disposal. And besides, it's not like you _lost. _It was a tie."

With a huff, the orange haired shapeshifter continued her trek. 

The rest of the walk was done without an exchange of words, but it wasn't so bad. They each kept to their own thoughts, wondering what exactly had gone on…

At camp, Ike had planned on discussing the group's next plan of action with Soren, but instead found himself once again detained.

"Brother!" came the joyous shout of his sister, who barreled into him a moment later, hugging the mercenary.

Lethe used this time to part from the blue haired beorc, saying that she had other issues to take care of.

Looking down at his sister, Ike found her eyes filled with nothing but concern for her older sibling. "Are you all right Ike?" she inquired, motioning to his arm, which was still in a sling.

He groaned internally. Why did _everyone _have to be so concerned about him right now? He wasn't dead, and his wound would heal. "I'm fine Mist. It's just a scratch, that's all."

Sure, he was grossly exaggerating, but there was no reason to trouble his sister with his own problems. "Are you _sure?_" the young girl asked, giving her brother a calculating look.

He gave a tired sigh. "_Yes, _Mist. I'm sure. Rhys already took a look. It just needs a bit of time to heal on its own."

He was rewarded with a bright smile from his sibling. "All right, if you say so. Anyway, Oscar told me to tell you that dinner is ready."

Ike was thankful for that news. His stomach had been bugging him to feed it ever since his duel with Lethe had ended. Chuckling to himself, Ike could guess what the laguz meant by "other issues". She was probably scouting out what Oscar was making for the dinner. She tried not to miss a meal if she could help it, _especially _if the oldest jade haired brother was making it. The first time she had eaten his food would be something Ike would _not _soon forget.

_-Flashback-_

_The group had left port a day ago on Nasir's ship, heading for Begnion. Because of how short-manned the ship was, Oscar took it upon himself to tackle the task of meal preparation._

_After an hour and a half of laborious effort, the ever-smiling man set out a banquet for the mercenaries, and the ship's captain. Everyone, in their own way, praised the cavalier for his culinary skills. The only exception was Lethe, who sat off to the side of the meal hall, refusing to touch any of the food._

_Approaching the laguz with a plate of food, the kind hearted Mist offered it to her._

"_I don't eat beorc food," was the cold response she received._

"_But you must be hungry," Mist insisted. "Oscar spent a really long time making this for everyone."_

_The shapeshifter simply snuffed her nose at it._

_Ike watched the scene from his seat at the table, curious as to why his sister was being so adamant about getting Lethe to eat with them. If anything, it should have been _Volke _that she try to get to sit down with them for a meal. Speaking of the stealthy man, he had already procured his food and made an exit. No one had seemed to notice…_

_Sighing in defeat, the daughter of Greil set the plate of food down next to the irate laguz and made her way back to her brother. Ike watched with interest as the feline laguz took discrete sniffs of the food that had been left._

_Taking out the knife she carried with her, Lethe sliced off a small piece of the cooked meat, before popping it into her mouth. The mercenary leader had to suppress a laugh when he noticed the laguz's ears perk up and her eyes widen slightly. Apparently she found the taste acceptable._

_Strangely enough, there were no leftovers that night… and the laguz didn't protest to eating "beorc" food after that, especially since Oscar had been permanently assigned the duty of preparing meals for the mercenary company from then on._

_-End Flashback-_

"Well, if it's dinner time then we should go before everyone else eats it, right?" the lord grinned.

He received a smile and a nod in response. The two set off towards the dining tent, where Oscar was no doubt working hard, along with several others, to provide sustenance for the army.

Ike happened to make a casual observation of his sister on the way there, and decided to voice his concern.

"Hey Mist?" The girl stopped and turned to face her brother. "Where's your sword at?"

Almost immediately the girl found the ground to be a _very _interesting thing to look at. She gave no vocal reply. 

It was known that Ike had presented Mist with a sword, in celebration of her achievement of beginning the path of a Valkyrie. He had crafted the weapon himself, with the help of Jorge and Daniel, two brothers in the merchant convoy they had helped. That alone made it important to Mist, as it held great sentimental value. The girl would take it _everywhere _with her, and hardly ever let it out of her sight.

Now, Ike found himself curious as to why it was conveniently absent. He watched as his sister entered the supply tent, and returned moments later with a roll of cloth. He did _not _like where this was going…

Unfurling the cloth, Mist couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with her brother. Inside the cloth were several shards of metal, along with the hilt of a sword.

"Mist… what happened?" Ike asked, his eyes roaming over each piece of metal.

"I… I'm sorry Ike," she whispered, her eyes beginning to well up with tears. "I'm really sorry…"

Pulling his sister close, the blue haired mercenary gave the girl a comforting hug. "Mist, it's alright, just tell me what happened."

"Well…"

_The Greil Mercenaries found themselves assisting the besieged forces of Castle Delbray. Mist, who had been taking out enemy after enemy on her mount, found herself pursuing a foot soldier into the nearby trees. They were too tightly packed together for her mount to get through, so, sending it back towards camp, she went in on foot._

"_You're a brave little brat to come in after me all alone," the man leered, his lance at the ready. _

_Mist had no response to give the man. She simply drew her sword and charged. Thinking to make a quick kill, the soldier thrust his weapon forward, hoping to skewer the young Valkyrie._

_Just as Ike had taught her, she spun to the side of the attack, then thrust her own weapon into her opponent, dropping him where he stood. Mist was _not _a fan of killing, let alone fighting, but if it meant saving the lives of her friends, she would push herself to be strong and do the right thing._

_Wiping off her blade, Mist began walking back towards where she had come in. _

"_Impressive, daughter of Gawain," came a calm, stoic voice from behind her._

_Spinning around, weapon drawn, she found herself suddenly unable to move… or for that matter, speak. It was __**him.**_

_Sure enough, there, encased in his obsidian armor, stood the Black Knight. Even though she could not see his face or eyes, she could feel his gaze burning into her. _

"_Gawain's son is not here," he noted._

"_No, he isn't!" Mist suddenly found her voice again._

"_A pity. I had hoped to face him in combat once more." Again that grating metallic voice spoke._

_Mist could feel the anger building up within her. This was the man that had killed her father… the man who had put Ike under so much pressure to get stronger, and avenge the death of Greil. He was the cause of ALL of this…_

_Before she knew what she was doing, Mist charged forward, intent on taking the life of the man who had taken her father's. As she thrust her weapon at the man's chest, right where his heart should be, if he even had one, he reacted._

_With incredible speed, he drew his cursed, blessed weapon, the silver blade Alondite, and lashed forward at the girl._

(A/N: I say cursed and blessed, because of whose eyes we are seeing this through. It is the same weapon that struck down her father, so I figured this description would fit.)

_Mist closed her eyes as the two attacks connected. The screeching sound of metal on metal was heard, and something like a high pitched metallic shriek was emitted from in front of her. She felt a burning sensation on her cheek, and soon found herself stumbling, before falling backwards._

_Opening her eyes, the girl found herself looking at her weapon… or at least the remnants of it. In her hand all she held was a hilt that contained only half of a blade. The rest lay in pieces, all around her. Lifting a hand to her cheek, she brought it away to find it covered in blood. A shard of her sword must have grazed her there…_

'_The sword! NO! All of the work that Ike put into making it…' _

_She sat looking at the broken weapon, and each of the remaining pieces that once made it a grand instrument of combat._

"_A broken sword should be the least of your concerns," the knight before her commented, Alondite still pointing at her._

_Withdrawing his weapon, he planted it firmly into the ground. Setting one hand on the top of the hilt, he moved his head so that the opening in his helmet was looking down at Mist. _

"_I will not take your life this day. The son of Gawain shall die before you. This I swear to you, on my honor as a knight."_

"_Monsters like you have no honor!" the teal eyed girl shouted in defiance._

_If her words affected the man, he showed no sign of it. "You will give him a message."_

_At the moment, the young girl was in no position to protest._

"_I shall await the son of Gawain where the moon meets the Earth, on the night it reveals its true form."_

_Where the moon meets the Earth? The night it reveals its true form? What was he talking about?_

_Before she could question what he meant, a circle of light seemed to materialize at the man's feet. The different runes and designs gave her the idea that it was some sort of potent or powerful magic. _

_She would be right in her assumption, as a moment later, the knight disappeared. It was nothing more than a flash of blinding light, but afterwards, there was no trace of the Black Knight, or that he had ever been there. She knew he had been there though. The proof was in the shards of her sword that lay strewn about… _

_Gathering every piece that she could, she wrapped them in her kerchief that she always kept with her, then began her walk back to camp._

"And… that's what happened," Mist finished, looking to her brother to see his reaction.

He was clenching his fists so tightly that if he hadn't been wearing gloves, she was sure he would have drawn blood. She was also sure that under the protective hand garments, his knuckles were turning white. The mercenary was gritting his teeth, the amount of anger he was radiating almost palpable.

"Ike…?" she asked uncertainly.

Snapping his eyes away from the ground, his expression softened. "I'm okay Mist. Let's get to dinner, then we'll see what we can do about your sword."

Even though Ike was smiling at his sister, he was frowning on the inside, thinking about how he could most brutally kill the man that had murdered his father, and attacked his sister…

-Chapter End-

* * *

Draknal: Well, there you go. Another chapter done. I realize some of the actions in this chapter may make the characters seem slightly "out of character," but I believe it was for the greater good. 

I hope you all enjoyed it. I realize it took a while to get it out, but with as much college work as I've been stuck with, and another story in the works, I've been lucky to get any time at all to dedicate to this. My readers are worth it though.

Leave a review on your way out please! I would appreciate it to no end, and I know that if you can put forth enough effort to put this story on story alert, you can leave a few kind words as well. Thanks!


	5. Confrontation: Part I

**Of Swords and Claws**

Draknal: Well, an update has been due for a while now I suppose. I've been rather occupied writing my Naruto story, as well as finishing up a few future deciding things. However, I managed to find some time to get another chapter up. Hopefully it was well worth the wait. Enjoy!

Now, a good portion of this chapter is in "flashback" form, so I'm just gonna say it now so no one gets antsy about it. Also, a warning. Any time a new character is gained in the game, I will include that into a chapter. Why? Because I don't like characters just randomly appearing in a story, with no explanation as to how they got there.

Also, it can sometimes be amusing, or reveal information on things that could be useful for later! And come on, there aren't that many characters left to be introduced anyway. Hopefully this chapter clears up a few things from previous chapters. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or any of its characters, just the plot of this story.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Confrontation: Part I**

_Trees swaying back and forth in the midnight gales…_

_A clash of steel, a battle cry. One garbed in blue, the other cased in armor as dark as the night…_

'_Ike! Stay back!' A meek nod of compliance. _

'_I would prefer it if you use your proper weapon, so that I might see you at your full strength, General Gawain, Rider of Daein!'_

_A weapon offered, a past refused. _

'_That _was_ my name, once. But I… threw it away.'_

_A man fighting for all that he holds dear, another driven by power._

'_Do you… want to die?'_

_Another battle cry, sparks swirling in the air from matched blows… a strike aimed true…_

'_Is that… all there is? No charge? No… resistance?'_

_A warrior falling… _

'_Father! Don't… don't leave me! Father!'_

"FATHER!"

Ike jolted upwards, his body in a cold sweat. Taking a moment to allow his breathing to return to normal, the general glanced around. It was still dark out, not even dawn yet. He could hear the sound of the falling rain outside.

'Father… I haven't had that dream for a long time. What… does it mean?' he wondered. It was hard to believe that a year had already passed since then. Ah, of course, that was the reason for it.

It was today. Today shared the same date as the day his father had been slain. The dream was simply a bleak reminder of it. Climbing to his feet, the young lord slipped on his armor and cape, then strapped his sword to his belt.

Parting the tent flap, he made his way out into the downpour of rain, not caring in the least that he could catch a cold from the exposure to the elements. He had to move, had to think. Staying cooped up in a tent would drive him crazy.

He lifted his gaze towards the heavens, allowing the chilled rain to pelt his face. He thought back to that day; it had been raining then too… as if the Goddess was weeping for the loss of one of her children.

The lord let out a 'hmph' at that thought. If the Goddess were to cry every time one of her creations died then the world would have been flooded over long ago. More likely, the rain was a symbol of his _mother's _tears. She was shedding bittersweet tears, happy to be reunited in death with her husband, but sad that her children were now without both of their parents.

Ike sighed, continuing on with his walk. 'Mother… Father…'

He had planned on leaving the camp, to head out to think for a bit. He always thought more clearly when he was by himself. Sure he had promised Titania he wouldn't go out alone again, but… she didn't have to know. Besides, why would enemies be lurking around in this weather at this time of day? Judging from their last few fights, Daein didn't have many soldiers left to spare for such meaningless exchanges.

Making his way towards the outskirts of the camp, he found a lone figure standing at attention, lance at the ready. Clad in silver armor, the large man was an imposing sight to behold.

The Crimean general nodded towards the soldier. "Sir Tauroneo."

The General turned towards the new arrival, giving a salute. "General Ike."

"Just Ike is fine," the blue haired beorc commented, choosing to forgo any formalities.

"Then I would ask that you refer to me simply as Tauroneo," said the bearded man. "I am a leader no longer, just a man."

"Well then… Tauroneo, what are you doing out here?" the lord inquired. It was strange that he would be standing out here by himself, weapon at the ready.

"The weather has kept other patrols and guards from being posted, so I have taken it upon myself to stand guard. May I ask what _you _are doing here? It is still early. Would it not be more beneficial to you to get more rest?" the silver-clad man asked.

The sword wielder diverted his gaze from the much larger man. "I couldn't sleep," he answered half truthfully.

"There is something troubling you. I may be old, but I can still tell when something isn't right with a soldier," the older beorc stated. "If you wish, I will listen."

Ike though about lying to Tauroneo, while keeping the real issue buried. However, this man _knew _his father. Surely he could shed some light on things.

"I had a dream… about the day my father was slain, one year ago, by the Black Knight."

Tauroneo's brows furrowed together, as he thought about the man he had once fought alongside. He remembered when he was first told that Gawain had been slain.

"You knew my father. The two of you were comrades," said the cerulean eyed boy.

The General nodded. "We were. Gawain was a fierce fighter, a good man, and a good friend. He and I, along with Bryce and Lanvega, were the Four Riders of Daein. But, that was ages ago."

Ike listened to the man's words, happy that he could hear about his father and his past from a man who he had been friends with. "Do you know why he left Daein?"

Again the large man nodded. "I remember that day well. He told me, and me alone. Bryce and Lanvega were too loyal to the king, and would have claimed his actions to be treasonous."

"When I asked why he was going to leave Daein, he only told me that he could not answer that. He said it was something he had to do. I could hear the truth in his words and I let him depart without confrontation."

This was news to Ike. What reason could have been so important that it made him give up his previous life? That aside, he decided to change directions. "Did you ever meet my mother?" he inquired.

A smile crossed the bearded man's face, as he thought fondly of the few times he had met Gawain's significant other. "Yes. Your mother was a beautiful woman, and probably the most calm and peaceful soul I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She cared deeply for Gawain."

This was one of the first things he had ever heard about his mother. He could only recall faint memories, which were fleeting anymore.

"If Gawain had remained in Daein, you most likely would have been enlisted in the Daein military, following in your father's footsteps."

The sword wielder frowned at the mention of being a Daein soldier. After fighting them for the past year, he simply couldn't imagine himself as being one of those pawns to Ashnard.

"What do you know of my father's killer, the Black Knight?" Ike asked, hoping that the General could provide some information on this mighty foe.

Tauroneo grimaced, thinking back to when the Black Knight had first appeared. "After Gawain left, the king had to name a replacement Rider. The Black Knight appeared before the king, claiming that he wished to serve Daein. He was tested, by the remaining Riders of Daein…"

"His strength was… incredible. In one on one combat, Lanvega and myself were unable to land a hit on him. Bryce, who was by far the strongest Rider, second to Gawain, only managed to strike him once. The man's sword play was astounding, as if Gawain had returned, only encased in dark armor. His style reminded me so much of him."

The aged man stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts.

"Ike, do not let your guard down around that man. He is a fearsome foe, and is not to be underestimated. His enchanted weapon and armor are not the only reasons that he is so strong. He is a man of great skill, and I would not hesitate to believe that he would be just as dangerous without those items."

The Crimean general frowned, but nodded in understanding. "I see. Thank you Tauroneo."

The armor-clad man placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "I have faith that when the time comes, you will defeat him. Your father no doubt shares that faith, wherever he may be."

Ike offered a weak smile, glad that his father's friend was so confident. But then, it did help to comfort him slightly, to think that his father was watching him from above, hopefully approving of his actions thus far.

'I will defeat him,' Ike vowed silently to himself.

"I shall return later," the beorc informed the lone guard. Tauroneo nodded and allowed the young man to pass by and exit the camp. He understood that sometimes people just needed to be alone to think. Gawain often did that when he was part of the Daein army. It was just one more way in which Ike was like his father.

o-o-O-o-o

Running a hand through his damp hair, the lord sighed, thinking back to what the Black Knight had told his sister, one week ago. It was strange, the dark soldier speaking in riddles. It wasn't like him. He was a straightforward man who kept very few secrets when it came to what he wanted.

With that in mind, he thought about the past week in general. So many different things had happened. One thing that came to mind was his match with the Crimean royal retainer, Lucia was it?

He remembered when she had initially attacked him. It had been their first meeting, and it was certainly something he wasn't going to forget any time soon. The match itself had been something Ike had been looking forward to. After all, it wasn't every day that he was able to see a new sword style.

_-Flashback-_

_Walking through the camp, Ike had just come from an officer's meeting, in regards to the army's future actions against Daein. It discussed in depth tactics and strategies for different situations that might arise, based on their current knowledge of the remaining Daein strongholds._

_In truth, such meetings bored him to no end. There was no point to any of it! They were the ones on the offensive, so there wasn't much point to organizing their troops. Their job was to throw the defenders into a state of chaos and disorganization, making their goal of victory that much easier. Troop organization only ever worked in situations where _they _were on defense and were trying to hold the enemy at bay. _

_In fact, half of the time when they _tried _to use orderly troop movements, their plans would be blown to hell by some unknown factor, such as enemy reinforcement troops. That being the case, they would have to wing it and improvise. He had no problem with that, and most of the time preferred it. The best strategy to use against an enemy is one that you yourself don't even know._

_His father had once told him that. No matter how experienced the enemy officer may be, they can't predict or defend against a tactic that they aren't familiar with. This was partly why the Greil mercenaries were so successful; because they were so unorthodox in their combat methods._

_Ike was drawn from his thoughts when he heard the sound of stone upon metal. Looking around he spotted the teal haired Crimean retainer, Lucia, sitting on a stump sharpening her blade._

_Noticing the shadow being cast on her, the young woman looked up and found her superior standing over her. "Greetings general Ike. Is there something you need?" _

_The entire time she asked this, she had a smile on her face. It was as if she had completely forgotten about their past transgressions. The younger beorc nodded, then turned his gaze downwards to the weapon that was being sharpened. It was longer than his sword, but much thinner, meaning that it was designed for quick, precise strikes, rather than large, powerful swings._

_The swordmistress took notice of how Ike was appraising her weapon and grinned. "So, I take it you are here for more than just a few questions?" she inquired._

_Looking her in the eye, the lord nodded "yes" to the most recent question. "If you don't mind, I'd like a match with you," he replied, being as straightforward as he could._

_The woman chuckled, while returning her weapon to its sheath. "I was wondering when you were going to ask that. Truth is, I was looking forward to it."_

_Ike raised an eyebrow at this. "Is that a 'yes' then?"_

_Standing up, Lucia straightened out her trench coat, before giving the boy a smile. "But of course. But do you think it a wise decision to do that with only one good arm?"_

_Turning on his heel, Ike beckoned his fellow sword user to follow. "You let me worry about that," he replied, stretching his good arm._

_After a two minute walk, they found themselves in an open part of the camp, commonly used for matches or sparring. On occasion, it was even used for jousting practice._

"_All right, what rules do you have in mind?" Lucia asked. "Training weapons? Time limits?"_

_Shaking his head, Ike answered, "Whatever weapon you desire, no time limit. We go until one of us yields."_

_The woman's eyes widened slightly with temporary shock. "Are you sure? I don't want to have to hold back too much."_

_This time Ike was the one laughing. "I don't want you to hold back at all. I may be younger, and I may be injured, but that doesn't mean you need to go easy on me. If you do, you might find yourself a bit surprised."_

_Such a declaration made the female sword wielder look forward even more to the upcoming duel. If he was so confident, then it was probably for one of two reasons. Either he was skilled enough to back up his words, or since Ike had never seen her fight before, he was severely underestimating her. She was hoping that it was the former of the two._

_Walking in their respective directions, they stopped when they were about ten feet apart. Drawing his sword, Ike held it so it was above his head, parallel to the ground. Lucia, rather than drawing her sword, placed her hand on the hilt of her weapon, then slid her right leg back some._

"_Ready?" Ike asked from afar. Lucia nodded in return, prepared to give this match her all._

"_Begin!" both beorc shouted, each rushing forward to meet the other. _

_With the flick of her wrist, Lucia had drawn her weapon and made a slash at her opponent. Ike, not expecting her to be _this _fast, barely managed to parry the attack._

_Like a dancer, the teal haired woman spun to the right of Ike and caught him in the side with two slashes. His armor took the brunt of the attack, the leather bearing scars to prove it. In an attempt to counterattack, the young avenger made a vertical upward slash at his foe, only for her to gracefully dodge that as well. With her first attack done, Lucia jumped back from the lord, putting some distance between the two of them. _

'_So, she _is_ a speed based fighter,' Ike acknowledged. This meant that his normal fighting stance and methods were going to be rather useless against her. Such a style was meant to deliver the most damage to an opponent, as it was based around the user's strength and size._

_Flipping his sword around, Ike took a more loose stance, allowing himself to relax his limbs. His grip on his weapon appeared to be more lax now, which puzzled the swordmistress. _

'_I've never seen that stance before,' Lucia thought with curiosity. 'I wonder what this could be for.'_

_Darting forward to hit the lord with another set of quick strikes, she was surprised to have the boy feint to the side, then duck under her strike. Lashing out with his weapon, Ike attempted to land a hit on the woman's side. It had been an easily spotted attack, which was blocked with little effort. What Lucia _hadn't _expected though, was for the lord to nail her in the other side with a kick._

_Staggering back some, the retainer was nursing her right side. For a kid, he certainly packed a punch, err… kick. The place he hit stung, and was probably going to bruise. However, it was better than being slashed with that sword of his. Speaking of which, is that why his attack had been so deliberately easy to stop? Was it just a diversion? What style of fighting _was _that?_

'_Your weapon must become an extension of your body. And in the same sense, your entire body must become an extension of your weapon,' Lethe had told him. To fight like a laguz meant to fight with everything available to you. It was evident that Lucia had never encountered such a combatant before, and that made him all the more confident in his abilities._

_Taking to the offensive, Ike leapt at his opponent, sword raised high. Blocking the attack, Lucia attempted to retaliate this time with a kick of her own, as this contest would clearly not be decided by swords alone. To her chagrin, Ike turned to the side, allowing the kick to pass by him. This left the teal haired woman in a bad position. Stepping into her, Ike slipped his foot behind her planted leg, and with a simple push of his body on hers, he forced the retainer to fall onto her backside._

_Standing above her, Ike went to place his sword at the woman's neck, but instead was surprised to find his feet taken out from under him with a sweeping kick. Scrambling back to her feet, Lucia began her assault anew, not giving the boy a chance to regain his bearings._

_Rolling out of the way, Ike dodged the first attack that was aimed at him. Tucking his sword into its sheath momentarily, he performed a handspring and uprighted himself. While attempting to dodge more strikes from the woman's deadly weapon, he drew his own once again. _

_Pulling back for a moment to catch her breath, Lucia began to reassess her opinion of the lord before her. He was good, and had a style at his disposal that she had never seen in her experience as a fighter. However, he was rather reckless in his fighting capabilities. Often, his attacks were too easy to determine and stop. _

_Switching up his stance once again, Ike now held his sword so that it was flush against the back of the arm that was holding it. His legs were also spread farther apart now._

'_He changed his stance again, so he's probably using a different style as well,' the teal haired retainer noted._

_Rushing towards her opponent again, Lucia kept lower to the ground this time, her weapon held horizontally in front of her. This would give Ike a much smaller target to aim for. This would also give her a better chance to gain an opening and study the weakness of the lord's current style._

_When she was close enough, she ducked lower and attempted to sweep the lord's feet out from under him again with a spin. As expected, he leapt over the leg sweep. Coming around from the spin, the woman used her momentum to slash horizontally at Ike. Adjusting his arm accordingly, the lord caught the attack on the flat of his blade, which was still pressed flush against his arm._

_The benefit to having his sword positioned as such was the fact that he could use his entire body to press against an attack like he was currently doing, rather than just his hands and wrists, like he would if he held the blade normally. Pushing against the attack, he forced his opponent backwards. With a simple flick of his hand, his sword was flipped around so that he was holding it normally. _

_Charging after his backpeddling adversary, Ike attacked with a thrust, which the retainer knocked to the side. He followed up by attempting a backhanded slash. Once more his attack was blocked. This did not discourage him, however, as he was still the one pressing the attack. Lucia was forced to remain on defense. _

_Occasionally the teal haired beorc would land a hit on him. However, he continued to attack, which paid off for him, as he returned most of, if not more than the hits he was dealt. This was the advantage of Stefan's sword style. By pressing an unrelenting number of attacks, the enemy would not only be caught off guard, but they would be stuck on defense for the entirety of the fight._

_Ike winced, taking note of the injuries he had received. Lucia didn't seem to be fairing any better. The two prepared themselves for another exchange of blows, but before they could, a series of claps and shouts drew their attention from their match._

_Looking around, they had failed to notice the large group of observers that had gathered to see the fight. Many of the Crimean soldiers stood in awe of what they had just seen. Their general had fought on par with the Crimean royal retainer, and with a one arm disadvantage no less! It was no wonder why this boy was their superior._

_Ike took notice of several Greil Mercenary members, who had also taken time to watch the match. Of them, two stood out. Stefan and Lethe looked at one another knowingly, then at Ike. Stefan was chuckling to himself while shaking his head, while Lethe was looking at Ike, smiling in her catty way. He also spotted Geoffrey and Bastian, who were observing with a great deal of satisfaction._

_Looking back to Lucia, Ike knew that calling the match a draw was not an option. He had something to prove. After all, if he couldn't beat Lucia, what chance did he stand against the Black Knight?_

_Taking up a fighting stance once again, the mercenary allowed his limbs to once again to relax. He was sure that Lethe was probably grinning from ear to ear. Lucia also took up a stance, understanding that this match was going to continue until someone gave in, or was defeated._

_Each took a step forward, then broke into a run. Right before they reached one another, Ike ducked down and slid under the woman's attack. Leaping up, he allowed his sword to drop from his grip, then proceeded to drive his now free fist into the retainer's stomach. Due to the momentum of each person, Ike's punch was _much _more effective than a normal hit. _

_The teal haired woman found herself laying on her back, gasping desperately for air. Ike, who was faring much better, took up his sword once again and leveled it on her neck._

"_This match is mine," he declared. _

_The spectators were dead silent for what seemed like minutes, then suddenly burst into cheers and applause. Bastian and Geoffrey made their way over to Lucia, to see if she was all right. _

_Kneeling next to the fallen woman, Bastian began mending her wounds through the use of a Heal staff. "My dear Lucia, you fought with such grace and skill, it was as if I were watching a dance! Your mentor would no doubt be proud of your efforts," he praised._

_Geoffrey nodded in agreement. "The match was quite remarkable. After that, it seems obvious why general Ike is in charge of this army."_

_With some help from Bastian, Lucia managed to stand, and approached Ike. The lord, who had been swarmed by many of his fellow mercenaries, and was being healed by Mist, turned to acknowledge her. _

_Extending her hand, Lucia smiled. "Congratulations general Ike. That was some match."_

_Ike returned the woman's smile. "Yeah, it was. I don't think I've seen that style of fighting before. It was similar to a few others, but it was unique. Who was your teacher?"_

"_It was the late lord Renning," Bastian replied, speaking up for his friend._

_Lucia nodded. "Yes, lord Renning taught me to use a sword when I was young. He was also the same person who taught Geoffrey to wield a lance and ride a horse."_

"_Might I be so bold to as to inquire who _your_ teacher was?" asked Bastian. Lucia was wondering the same thing._

"_You seemed to use different styles. I'm not familiar with any of them," Lucia admitted._

_Ike began rubbing the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. No sooner had he prepared to answer, two of his mentors made their way over to him. Lethe stood to his right, Stefan on his left._

"_You wouldn't be familiar with any of the styles for a reason. I was taught originally by my father, who is… no longer with us," he noted sadly. "My sword style, while good, was incomplete. Stefan here, a sword hermit," he pointed to the man in particular, who smiled in return, "Helped me to polish my style. He also taught me his own style of combat."_

_He then motioned to the laguz that stood next to him. "This is my other teacher."_

_The three Crimean retainers seemed surprised by this. A laguz teaching a beorc? Now that was certainly ironic…_

"_The laguz have a unique method of fighting, and I was curious as to how I could include that in my sword style, so I asked Lethe to train me. She's a hell of a teacher, and her training methods are tough enough to make even the most battle-hardened soldier cringe."_

_The laguz in particular nodded, a small grin tugging at the edges of her mouth. She had good reason to be in such a mood. Her "student" had just proven the superiority of her techniques and teachings, over another beorc sword user's own ones. She was feeling nothing short of distinct pride. _

_While the match had been a great experience for both swordspersons, it also seemed to attract some extra attention. A loud guffaw made everyone in the area turn to the newcomer._

_A large and well built man stood leaning against one of the tents. Strapped to his back was a monstrous axe, almost as large as he was! His choice in attire was rather… unique. He opted not to wear a shirt, which showed off his Adonis-like build. The man had two fur shoulder pauldrons. His dark hair was slicked back, and his face was framed by a short, trimmed beard._

"_Gwa ha ha! That was some fight. Personally, I think you took a bit too long to win," the man grinned, before pushing off from the tent and standing up to his full height._

_Even though the man towered over Ike, he didn't give any hint of being intimidated. "And who might you be?" the lord inquired._

_The man reeled back as if struck. "Who am I? I am the world's strongest axe man, the greatest of all berserkers, Largo!" he answered, striking a muscle pose. Strangely enough, the man's oddly worded introduction sounded slightly familiar…_

_Ike looked to his comrades, who each were either confused or wondering if the man was brain damaged. "I'm sorry, but I've never heard of you."_

_Strongest axe man? Ike knew for a fact that this particular title would have belonged to his father. With a sigh, he waited for the man's response._

_With a depressed shrug, Largo crossed his arms. "Well, I suppose someone as young as you might not be familiar with the name. Oh well, no matter! Do me a favor kid, and direct me to the commanding officer of this little group."_

_The blue haired beorc's brows furrowed together. Kid? Hmph. He'd let that one slide. "You're looking at him," Ike deadpanned._

_Largo stared at the sword wielder for a moment, before laughing once more. "Gwa ha ha! That's a good one kid. But seriously, run along and get your leader for me, will ya?"_

_Looking over the group of people with Ike, Largo eventually found one that seemed like the leader type. Marching up to Geoffrey, he gave a slight bow. "I take it you are in charge here?" he asked._

_The Paladin shook his head, then pointed to Ike, who was slightly irritated at this point. "I'm afraid you are mistaken sir. General Ike leads this army."_

_The large man was about to comment on how the joke was starting to get annoying, when a voice called out._

"_Largo! What are you doing here?" inquired a feminine voice._

_Turning around, the man caught sight of an acquaintance of his. "Calill! Ah, finally, someone who can put an end to this nonsense. Who here is in charge?"_

_The woman was slightly surprised to be asked such a question, especially after not seeing her friend for so long. Nonetheless, she answered him. "That'd be General Ike," she said, pointing to the mercenary._

_With an irritated glare, Ike directed his attention to the "greatest magic user in the land." "You know this man?"_

_The blonde smiled brightly. "Of course! This is Largo, the world's-"_

"_World's strongest axe man, yes, so he's said," Ike drawled. "So, you want to join up with our group?" he asked the berserker._

_The man in question could feel beads of sweat gathering on his brow. Gulping, he nodded the affirmative to the question. He could only hope he hadn't pissed the young leader off too much, or else he might be out of a job._

_-End Flashback-_

Ike laughed at the memory, recalling how Largo had spent the entirety of the week trying to make it up to the lord.

As quickly as the humorous thought came, it disappeared, replaced by a reality that Ike was not ready to deal with yet. It was coming time to pack up the camp and continue on with the journey to Crimea. Not yet though… they couldn't leave until he met the Black Knight in combat! The man had purposely sought him out in the army's last engagement. He was _looking _for Ike.

That being the case, he was obviously expecting Ike to figure out the riddle, and come looking for _him. _It had been days since he had received the message from Mist though… meaning that the allotted amount of time may have already expired.

No, the Black Knight wouldn't do that. Though dangerous and partly arrogant he may be, a fool he was not. He was probably planning on him taking a few days to figure it out.

Ike could only frown, his dislike for the armored man growing even more. Pushing past several low branches, the lord continued on his walk. Glancing down at his injured arm, he wondered just how long he'd have to wait before he could make use of it again.

It had been determined that it was his forearm which was broken. That being the case, it didn't mean he couldn't use the rest of his arm properly. Ever so carefully he pulled his arm out of the sling. Other than a slight burning sensation in the healing area, it seemed fine. Rolling his shoulder a few times, he deemed it safe to keep it out the support, if only for a bit.

Thinking back, the match accomplished more than just his dominance as a swordsman. It also helped to give him more information on one of the Crimean retainers.

_-Flashback-_

_Not long after the 'Largo' fiasco had been taken care of, for the moment anyway, Ike had sought out his most recent fighting partner. _

_He should have expected her to once more be in the company of Princess Elincia, along with Geoffrey and Bastian. It seemed that they never wandered far from her if they could help it. Odds were that at the match earlier, the princess probably would not have wanted to see two of her friends going at one another like that, so she opted not to watch._

_That aside, he approached the woman, and requested that they speak in private. The swordmistress agreed, and let her companions know that she would be absent for a few minutes. Leaving Elincia's tent, they opted to take a walk through the camp. _

"_I suppose you desire an explanation for earlier?" the teal haired woman inquired._

"_Well, it doesn't really bother me anymore. I'm just curious as to why you attacked me at our first meeting," the beorc leader explained._

_The sword user nodded. "That is understandable. When you first entered the tent to meet Geoffrey, Bastian, and myself, I noticed your posture and stance, along with the weapon you kept at your side. It was an assumption that you would block my attack. If for some reason you did not, however, I was aiming for a protected part of your body, so no harm would have come of it."_

"_Yes, but _why _exactly did you do it?" the lord asked, hoping to simply get to the point._

_With a sigh, the woman ceased walking, before folding her arms and looking over at her companion. "I had to judge if your skills were enough to keep Princess Elincia safe."_

_This surprised the boy, as he would have expected that to be self-evident by now. Of course he had the skills and strength to keep her safe! He had just recently defeated one of the Four Riders of Daein._

_Lucia's gaze fell to the ground, as she elaborated further on her reasons. "When Crimea's capital fell, Princess Elincia was to be escorted out by our elite guard. Geoffrey, Bastian, and I were to accompany them, but the commander insisted that they were enough to complete the task of escorting her to Gallia. Reluctantly, the three of us remained behind and fought off her pursuers."_

"_Later, we learned that the princess's group had been attacked. From what we could see there were no survivors, and Princess Elincia was missing. We assumed the worst, and… I blamed myself for it. When she was growing up, her existence was kept a secret, so she really had no one in the way of friends."_

_Shaking her head, Lucia tried to regain some of her composure. "The only ones outside of the nobles, who knew she existed-"_

"_Were you, your brother, and Bastian?" Ike interrupted, going on a hunch._

_The swordmistress nodded. "We saw each other as sisters, and did practically everything together. When Elincia went missing, I felt as if I'd failed my sister, and that she was in danger because of my failure to ensure her protection. When I had learned that she was in the company of a group of mercenaries, I vowed that I'd make certain she was in good hands. I would _not _fail her again."_

_Now this Ike could relate to. Had someone else been charged with Mist's protection, he would have probably been against it as well. Then, if she had gone missing or died, he would never have forgiven himself. Lucia was just looking out for the woman she saw as a sister. Even if they weren't related by blood, it made sense. It was like how he viewed Soren as a brother._

_He offered a smile to Lucia. "I can understand your situation. However, I assume you now have no quarrels with Elincia being under the protection of the Greil mercenaries?"_

_The teal haired woman returned the smile. "Not at all, especially with you leading them. I only ask that you allow me to help see to her safety."_

"_I wouldn't dream of it otherwise," he chuckled, glad that the matter had finally been cleared up._

_-End Flashback-_

Ike was glad that the downpour had stopped. The day was dreary enough to begin with, and it certainly didn't need to be hindered any more by rain. Looking ahead, the beorc found himself at the lake he had trained at the previous week. Strange… it was as if he was drawn to it. He played it off as simply being attracted to the scenery. It reminded him a lot of Gallia. How odd it was, that he came to find that he was born in a country inhabited by laguz. He had always thought that Crimea was his home nation. Ah, but such matters were unimportant now.

Sitting down at the lake's edge, he looked out over the expansive body of water. With it no longer raining, the surface was as calm and smooth as glass. The sun was now rising, its light reflecting off of the water. Gazing into the liquid, he could see the mirror image of the rising star. How funny, to think that something so far away now appeared so close.

It was then that the young mercenary was struck with an epiphany. Ah, how crafty. But that only made for one answer, leaving the riddle of time. That would hopefully come to him later.

A low growl made the lord turn and look over his shoulder. 'Ah, wouldn't it just be my luck,' he pondered.

Looking back to the scene in front of him, he heard the large cat walk up next to him and settle into a sitting position. A flash of light later, and Lethe was in her humanoid form.

The laguz looked from the lake, over to Ike, then back to the peaceful setting. "You are up quite early, even by laguz standards," she noted.

The beorc nodded. "I couldn't sleep. I needed to get out, to think."

Pulling his knees up to his chest, he rested his chin on them. "I've been doing that a lot lately… thinking. I guess today is just, well, it's hard to believe that it's already been a year."

This caught the shapeshifter's curiosity. However, it was not her place to ask. She understood that some things about a person's past, or their own personal matters, were best left alone.

It was simply coincidence that Ike caught her curious glance. "It happened before you and Mordeccai joined up with us," he elaborated.

Lethe, as well as most laguz, possessed very keen hearing, and she could tell that it pained the blue haired beorc to delve into this tale. "If do not wish to speak about it, that is your choice."

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. You and Mordeccai have been with us for so long, you deserve to know. Four days before you fought alongside us for the first time, my father, Greil, met the Black Knight in combat. He… didn't survive."

The cat humanoid frowned. Hadn't she told him that he didn't need to elaborate? It was obvious that he didn't want to talk about this, yet he continued on nonetheless. Well, if he wished to tell it, then she would at least be respectful and listen.

"When he died, I was the only one there with him. I watched him give his final breath; I _watched _him die," he cringed, shuddering involuntarily. "I was too weak to challenge the Black Knight… and I was too weak to save my father."

"You beorc are so stupid sometimes," the orange haired laguz remarked.

Such a comment was unexpected. Looking over at his friend, Ike awaited an explanation.

"If your father could not defeat that man, and Ranulf could not even scratch his armor, what makes you think you _could _have done anything to prevent that from happening?" she asked, her tone remaining indifferent. She wasn't trying to prove anything, she just honestly wanted to know what he thought on the matter.

"I could have at least tried," Ike growled, looking back out at the lake. He knew that Lethe was right though… at his current skill level at the time, he couldn't have made a difference. "Do you have any idea how helpless I felt, watching him suffer like that, before passing on?"

"You should consider yourself fortunate…" the cat humanoid mumbled, looking away.

"Fortunate? You think that I was_ fortunate_ in being able to watch my father _die?_" he nearly shouted. "That's probably one of the most heartless things I've ever heard from you…"

"Don't you _dare_ presume to judge me!" Lethe retorted. "You were there to witness your father's end. You were with him for his final moments. Others are not so lucky as you."

The lord wanted to scream in anger, to rage at this laguz, but instead he kept his anger in check and see what she had to say.

"What do you mean?" he asked, keeping his tone level.

The laguz glanced over at him for a moment, then returned her gaze to the water at her feet. "My parents were killed by beorc when I was younger. Do you know what they do with the bodies of laguz?"

Ike could tell this wasn't going in a positive direction. But rather than try and deter from the subject, he simply shook his head.

"They burn them," the laguz continued, her voice low. "We weren't even able to give them a warrior's burial. My parents were suddenly taken from my life, and I never knew what happened to them. _You _at least were there to witness your father's end, and at least provide some comfort."

The boy was at a loss for words. Here he was, thinking that he was the only one who had suffered such a traumatic event, yet he wasn't alone. This only proved how similar laguz and beorc were. They each suffered, and they each needed time to heal from those wounds.

In that moment, his respect for the female shapeshifter grew. She had to deal with the pain of losing her parents too, yet she still managed to carry on and be strong.

A silence hung about them for a moment, before Ike decided to go further into the subject. "…Do you have any other family?" he inquired.

Lethe nodded. "A younger sister. Her name is Lyre."

A younger sibling… just like him. So not only did she have to go on in life without her parents, but she had a sister to take care of. She had to be the role model. Oh what cruel fate!

Letting his mind wander, Ike tried to picture a younger, smaller version of Lethe. If she was anything like her older sister, then she was most likely quite the hand full.

Laying on his back, the lord stared up at the now brightening sky. "Hey, you never did tell me why you were out here."

Looking down at the beorc, Lethe shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose I was unable to sleep as well. I heard you speaking with the beorc in silver armor. When you did not return, I decided to make sure you were not doing anything foolish."

Laughing, the lord placed his good hand behind his head. "Thanks I guess. I don't know what I'd do without friends like you."

-End Chapter-

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Draknal: Argh! I wasn't planning on splitting this chapter up, but I have to! If I didn't then this would be around 37 pages. I don't want to make my readers have to sit through such a long chapter.

Anywho, hopefully this clears up a few matters, and also makes you ask a few questions as well. Thank you to all of my readers, and thank you even _more _to all the people who choose to review. I wouldn't be here without you guys!

On that note, please drop me a review and let me know how I'm doing! Thanks!


	6. Confrontation: Part II

**Of Swords and Claws**

Draknal: Here we are again for another chapter. Thanks to everyone that has been keeping up with and taking and interest in my story. Knowing that people like reading it is probably what gives me the most satisfaction in writing this.

Before we begin, I'd like to give a special thanks to JamesRKS. If not for his reminder that I owe you guys another chapter, this might not have come out when it did!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or any of its characters, just the plot of this story.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Confrontation: Part II**

After watching the sunrise, Ike and Lethe had chosen to return to the camp. There was no point in worrying anyone over their temporary absence. Upon their arrival, the two split up, each with their own agenda.

Looking around their base of operations, for the time being as it were, Ike noticed that aside from a few guards that had been posted, most likely after it had stopped raining, no one else was up. Usually there was at least one person-

"Good morning Ike," called out a voice from behind him.

Gazing over his shoulder, the lord spotted Soren exiting his tent. The Sage didn't appear tired at all, which was something he envied about the boy. No matter how late he stayed up, or how much time he spent stressing over a problem, he was always calm, composed, and ready the next morning. How he pulled it off was a mystery to him. Thanks to his life as a mercenary, Ike was used to getting up early, as it was a regular demand of the job, but to say that he was _happy_ about it would have been a blatant lie.

He nodded towards his friend. "Morning Soren."

The raven-haired boy straightened out his robes slightly, before strolling up next to his friend. "All preparations have been made for our departure. Our provisions have been restocked, and we are set to make leave whenever you feel it necessary."

Ah, Soren was _always _business. He really needed someone to help him loosen up a bit. But, that's just how he was. Who knows, if he _wasn't _like that, then they might not be where they are today.

Ike nodded his understanding. "All right. Is there anything else?"

"It is ultimately _your _decision where we go next Ike. You lead this army, so the location is up to you. I have set up a map detailing three possible areas that are suitable for us to take to the offensive against."

Great, this early in the morning and he already had to start making decisions? He steeled himself for the long arduous process that was tactical planning.

Soren must have noticed the slight slump in his friend's shoulders. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "You don't have to do that now Ike. There is only one way that we are taking into Crimea, and that isn't changing any time soon. There is a two day march until we get to the crossroad that splits up into the three separate destinations we have picked out, so you have some time to think on things."

'I should have known better,' Ike chastised. 'Soren wouldn't just throw something like that on me with no warning. At least I have a bit more time.'

"Okay Soren. I won't choose now, but I think I'll hold on to your map. If I get some free time I can start looking it over and make a decision from there."

The dark haired boy allowed the smile to remain on his face. He was happy to see his friend taking such responsibility. His father would no doubt be proud. He handed the scroll over. "If you have any questions, then feel free to ask. I'll be around."

His task for the time being accomplished, Soren excused himself, before heading off on his own somewhere else in the camp. His business was his own, so Ike chose not to inquire about it.

Continuing on his walk, the lord made his way to the large fire pit which was situated in the middle of the camp. It was only cinders and ash now, thanks to the efforts of the rain that had been falling earlier.

Sitting down on one of the several logs that were situated around the pit, as makeshift benches, the mercenary placed his elbow on his knee, then rested his chin in his palm. He kept his gaze on the remains of the fire.

Surely this campaign of theirs wasn't going to last too much longer. They _would _be victorious and stop Mad King Ashnard. But… what then? He wasn't scared of not knowing what was going to happen next, just curious. What of his friends who had joined up with the mercenaries to help out? What would become of them? For that matter, what would become of the Greil Mercenaries?

These questions sometimes plagued the young beorc's mind, but he would normally cast them aside and pay them no heed. Now however, as the end drew nearer, he found that he could not so easily disregard them.

Many of them had lives to return to, families or friends waiting for them. The beorc would go back to their respective countries, and the laguz to their own, be it Gallia or Phoenicis. Speaking of the laguz…

Out of the corner of his eye, Ike noticed a rather flustered Ranulf dashing through the camp. "What's the rush?" he shouted.

The laguz came to a halt, scanning with his eyes to see who had called out to him. Spotting his beorc friend, he approached him and sat down next to the boy, if only for a moment.

The cap wearing shapeshifter rubbed the back of his head in an embarrassed fashion. "Sorry Ike, I'm in a bit of a rush. I'm supposed to report to King Caineghis, and right now I happen to be a _bit _behind."

If he had to report to the king himself, then the matter was obviously important. There was no sense in him detaining his friend any longer. "All right. Well get out of here before you become any later than you already are," said Ike, waving the laguz away in a shooing motion. "If anyone asks where you are, I'll be sure to let them know."

"Thanks Ike! It shouldn't take me too long!" shouted the teal haired feline, as he bolted towards the edge of the camp, in the direction of Gallia. A flash of light later, and all that remained of the laguz was a blue streak in the distance, his faster cat form.

Somehow, this really didn't surprise Ike. Ranulf was the liaison between the group and Gallia, so he was always on the move or unable to stick around for long. Someone had to do it, and seeing as he was the highest ranking Gallian laguz in the army at this point in time, it made even more sense.

o-o-O-o-o

Some time later, when more people were up and about, Ike found himself watching a brief spar between his sister and Mia. After she had learned to use a sword, Mist had been constantly working to improve herself. Mia, being the outgoing and driven person that she is, readily agreed to sparring with the younger girl. It would help to give each of them more experience in using their weapons, and in combat in general.

Ike was thankful for this, as it was getting rather tiresome of having to deal with Mia's almost fanatical desire to constantly test him and his skills in combat. She was persistent, and he'd give her that. But he could understand it. She just wanted to be the best, and what better way was there then by constantly testing yourself against the blade of another?

For now, the lord stood off to the side, watching as the two exchanged blows, swords constantly in motion and clashing. His job, when all was said and done, was to evaluate how the two sword users did during their match, then give suggestions on how to improve.

The mercenary watched with interest as his sibling dodged an attack from the violet-haired myrmidon, then retaliated with a vicious counterattack. She had changed… and it had been something he had only recently noticed. It was as if Mist had matured, more than she normally was, that is. She now took everything so seriously, as if she _had _to. That was _his _responsibility last time he checked.

'Of course, I could be wrong,' Ike thought despondently, shaking his head.

It was all because of her encounter with the Black Knight. It had to be! Once again that man had done something to his family, and he would pay for it. That time would come, and if he had figured out what he needed to, then it would be very soon indeed.

Glancing back at the fight he watched Mia parry a blow from Mist's training sword, then deliver two strikes, before evading another series of attacks from the younger girl. She had a smiled plastered on her face the whole time, thoroughly enjoying the challenge the other female swordsman offered her.

Just a friendly spar, that's all it was. However, he couldn't deny that both contenders seemed to get more into it each time they fought. That was just one more reason for him to be glad that they weren't using their actual weapons. Looking over to where they had temporarily left their gear, Ike smiled inwardly when he noticed his sister's sword, sitting neatly in a pile with the rest of her belongings.

o-o-O-o-o

She had been ecstatic when he returned the broken weapon to her in perfect condition. The task of repairing it had been a relatively easy one, considering that most of the sword's pieces had been gathered up by Mist. There was hardly any replacing to be done, as far as the smelting of the metal was concerned. However, rather than re-forging the weapon with just iron, he instead added a mix of steel and silver, making the weapon more durable than its previous form. He doubted that anyone would mind, as the weapons that he had smelted down to do that were in poor condition.

On that note, the actual process had been one that required a bit of finesse. Using one hand to properly smith a weapon isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world to do; something Ike had learned the hard way. Jorge and Daniel, who had allowed the boy to use their forge, had been deeply involved in one of their war games, but offered him assistance nonetheless.

Not wanting to inconvenience the two, the Crimean general had politely declined their offer. Instead he had come up with an alternative which, in the long run, would be beneficial to both parties involved. He had thought about asking someone like Stefan, Zihark, or even Lucia to help, but then decided against it. Why? Simple; because they knew so much about the weapon and how to make it already.

He himself already knew how to craft a sword. One has to know their weapon inside and out, so to speak, before they can master it. Rather than looking at this as a simple weapon repair, he saw it as an opportunity. One which he was going to use.

While she had wanted to refuse to assist the beorc at first, Lethe resigned herself to helping him, as he had made a point about it being beneficial for her to know more about the weapon she had recently learned to wield. She truly knew nothing about the intricacies of crafting such a weapon, nor the techniques used to ensure that it was done properly.

Lethe would handle the actual crafting of the weapon, while Ike instructed her on how to do it. The laguz had been pushed to the edge of her temper at several points, but in the end managed to come through with only a bit of physical assistance from Ike. The mercenary leader had noticed at more than one point, how Jorge and Daniel would look up from their game, watching the laguz and fellow beorc with curiosity, before looking away as if not interested.

He was right. Lethe had learned so much about the weapon she used in such a short period of time. Using the weapon was one thing, but understanding it was another. The sizes and crafting designs of swords, their purposes, their weaknesses; each of these things were explained as the mercenary helped her.

When Ike presented his sister with her newly crafted sword, she had been overjoyed to have it back. He couldn't help but chuckle at what had happened next. He elaborated that Lethe, who was standing next to him at the time, had helped play an important role in the sword's re-forging. His sister then promptly hugged the laguz, thanking her for what she had done. The look on Lethe's face had been priceless. For the longest time she simply stood still, her face showing nothing but shock. Apparently she had never received such appreciation, as well as physical contact, from a beorc before. She was at a loss for words.

Looking over at Ike for some form of help, the blue-haired beorc was just smiling at her, nodding. Returning her gaze to the girl hugging her, she gave an uncertain "You're welcome," while patting her on the shoulder.

o-o-O-o-o

The _CRACK! _of wood against wood made Ike look back over at the two combatants. Mist was breathing heavily while Mia seemed to be just slightly short of breath.

"All right, I think that does it for now," he announced.

Lowering their weapons, the two fighters shook hands and congratulated the other on a good match, before approaching Ike.

"So boss, how'd we do?" inquired Mia, her hands behind her head.

"You both did well today," he began, looking from one to the other. "Mia, you were a little careless with your defensive stance. You have to keep your legs spread farther apart, or else you can be knocked off balance pretty easily."

She nodded in understanding. "Gotcha boss. Won't happen again."

Ike then turned his gaze to his sister, who awaited her own instruction. "Mist, you handled yourself very well out there, but you still need to be careful when you rush an enemy like that. If Mia had adjusted her sword just slightly, she'd have been able to run you through right as you reached her. Never just run straight at an enemy."

The girl tilted her head slightly. "What do you think I should do to avoid that then?"

"Add sharp jukes to the left or right, and keep lower so you're a harder target to hit," he suggested, going from his own experience.

His sibling nodded appreciatively, before she and Mia both went to retrieve their items.

Ike turned to leave, but found himself unable to when his sister promptly returned to his side.

"Um… Ike?"

He glanced over at the younger girl. "What is it Mist?" he asked, hoping that nothing serious was bothering his sibling.

The girl's gaze faltered for a moment, her eyes lowering towards the ground. "Have you thought about what the Black Knight said?"

The mercenary leader tensed for a moment, before forcing himself to relax. He offered his sister a half-hearted smile. "Don't worry about it Mist. You just let me handle it. I'll take care of it when the time comes."

"But Ike-"

"Mist." His tone was more commanding this time. "I don't want you getting yourself involved in this. This is my problem to deal with by myself."

When his sister gave no response, he thought that he might have gotten through to her. He truly believed that if no one else tried to help in resolving the matter, then no one besides him would end up getting hurt. After all, it was him that the Black Knight was after.

"He was my father too Ike!" shouted the younger child of Greil. The look in her eyes now was one of sadness and determination. "Why do you have to do this by yourself?"

He sighed in exasperation. "If I _don't _do it by myself, then many others will be placed in harms way. If I know that I have the ability to prevent that from happening, then I'm going to do it."

'Brother…' thought Mist with despair. She knew that such a path could ultimately lead to his death.

"All right Ike. I won't get involved," she relented.

Her brother knelt down and gave her a comforting hug. "Thanks Mist. I'd feel a lot better knowing that you aren't being put in danger because of me."

o-o-O-o-o

It was around midday when Ike found himself summoned by none other than Oscar. He was curious as to what the Paladin wanted. Making his way to the tent where he and his two brothers normally resided, he entered, and was greeted by the smiling green-haired man.

When he had first met the eldest of the three brothers, the ever-present smile had been somewhat disturbing for him. After so many years of fighting alongside him though, he had gotten used to it.

Rolf and Boyd were there as well, the former busy re-stringing his bow, and the latter laying on his bed, resting his eyes.

"You wanted to see me Oscar?" inquired the army's leader.

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry to disturb you, but it would seem as though it is your and Ranulf's turn for gathering duty."

Gathering duty was when two members of the group would set out and take care of procuring necessary items for meals later in the day, whether it be collecting wood or hunting animals.

Ike was slightly confused. "Soren mentioned earlier that we had just replenished our supplies. Is that not accurate?"

A light chuckle came from the oldest of the brothers. "Yes, we have restocked our provisions."

"Then what's the problem?" asked Ike.

"We still have some of our older stores, which are still good. That being the case, we normally use the last of them first, so as not to let them go to waste. That way we can save the fresh ones for later. I'm thinking of making soup with it tonight, but we need something else to go with it," the jade-haired man elaborated.

Well… it made sense. Why use the new supplies when they have enough of the older ones, which were still good, to last them for another night?

"Well what would you suggest?" came the blue-haired boy's inquiry.

"Fish."

"Okay, well I'm going to need someone else to come with me. Ranulf is currently on an errand for King Gallia," he explained.

The still-grinning man looked over his shoulder at his brothers. "Boyd, do you think you could-"

"Nope, I'm too tired. Besides, I was on gathering duty _last _time," interrupted the middle sibling.

He turned his gaze to Rolf. "Well then Rolf, would you help Ike-"

"But Oscar, I was just about to go show Mist how good I've gotten with my bow!" protested the young Sniper. All of his training with Shinon had increased his archery capability several fold. He had promised Mist that he would show her just how much better he had become.

Oscar let out a sigh, a trace hint of annoyance showing itself. "Well, it seems like you'll have to find someone else to help. I'm sorry about this Ike."

The avenger simply waved it off. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure I can find someone."

That turned out to be much easier said than done. Normally, it was a two person job. One beorc, and one laguz. In this case though, many of the laguz were busy. Muarim had been detained by a certain berserker, and goaded into a competition over who was stronger. He had arrived just in time to see Largo attempt to lift up a very scared and disgruntled Brom.

Ulki and Janaff were off scouting, so that was a no go. He wouldn't dare ask such a task of Prince Reyson. Tibarn would probably have something to say about it…

It was a stroke of luck that Mordecai was unoccupied and willing to help. He had also managed to enlist the aid of Nephenee, who said that she was happy to help. On their way out of the camp, they picked up their final helper, a rather irritated Lethe. She had noticed the leaving party, and asked her subordinate what they were doing. Mordecai had given a brief explanation, and with an aggravated sigh, she volunteered to assist as well. Those damn beorc morals must have been rubbing off on her.

After a short hike, the group had arrived at a river which fed into the lake that Ike had become so fond of in such a short time. Oscar hadn't specified how much he was going to need, but if it meant feeding the entire army… it was a good thing that they had brought a few crates with them. The fact that Mordecai was so strong would probably be of great help as well. He doubted that he himself would be of great help in carrying the load back, seeing as his one arm was still technically out of commission.

"So, where do ya'll want us to set up?" inquired Nephenee, her lance resting over her shoulder.

Ike took a moment to think about it. In his condition, he wouldn't be of too much help. "Nephenee, you and Mordecai head further up the river and work there. We," he motioned to himself and Lethe, "Can take care of anything that slips by you. Sound good?"

Mordecai nodded, as did Nephenee. "All right. Sounds like a plan. But before we go…"

Ike was caught off guard as a lance was tossed his way. Recovering quickly, he managed to grab the weapon, rather than let it drop.

"I reckon you might be needin that," the farmer smiled.

The mercenary commander nodded, before placing it so it rested across his back. With that, each group took off in their separate directions. In his entire life, Ike had practiced with a polearm perhaps once or twice. But if there was one thing he remembered about them, it was that they were a pain to wield with only one arm…

A flash of light directed his attention over to his laguz partner, who was already in her animal form, swiping left and right into the water with her paws. After each splash, a silver-colored fish would be sent airborne, landing on the river's edge where they would continue to flop around.

Flipping the polearm that he held around, he positioned it so that he could stab downwards with it. Several futile attempts later, he thought about some easier methods.

'I guess in retrospect, a net would have made this a _lot _easier,' he thought with disdain. What did it matter though? They had never been in an area where they'd had to _fish _before. It was normally hunting, which the laguz, and Snipers of their group were _very _adept at.

And besides, they didn't have a net anyway. There was no need for one. It wasn't as though they were trappers, or had any use for one in combat. He'd have to make a mental note to get one anyway, just to make his life a little bit easier.

Still he persevered, trying his best to accomplish his given task. However, even the most patient of people can only take so much. "Oh to hell with it…" he growled, tossing the lance over to the shore. Deciding on a change of plans, he drew his blade.

This was unorthodox, which he didn't mind in the least. In all truth, a lance was a much better choice for what he was doing, but he just didn't seem to agree with that. A quick thrust of his blade, and he had made his first kill.

Flicking his weapon in the shore's direction, he flung the skewered fish away, and began waiting for his next victim. 'Actually, this could make for a partway decent training exercise,' he thought with a chuckle. Those fish _were _fast after all, and the slightest of movement forced them to change direction, making it all the more difficult to catch them.

He was about to make his next strike, when a splash drew his attention. Turning his head, he was met with an amusing sight. Apparently cats weren't as graceful as he had given them credit for. He spotted a relatively angry looking Lethe, who had apparently slipped on a rock and fallen face first into the water. The cat did _not _seem amused.

Ike on the other hand, found it rather hard to contain his laughter. When the feline looked over in his direction, he turned away from her, hoping she didn't see his failing effort to hold in his mirth. Unfortunately, shaking shoulders happen to be a _very _good determining factor in deciding whether a person is laughing or not.

Naturally this did not sit well with the laguz. It would be a cold day in hell before she let a beorc get the last laugh. Narrowing her eyes, she thought of a plan of action.

The mercenary leader was surprised, but relieved that Lethe hadn't seen him laughing at her predicament. Her failure wasn't what made him laugh, so much as her reaction.

A few moments later he noticed the laguz in particular making its way toward him, dashing in a zigzag pattern, swiping at the water. She was pursuing a fish which had slipped passed her perhaps? That's what it had _looked _like. Now, even though he was no laguz, and didn't have their level of vision, he could see that there was no target being chased.

By that time, it was far too late. Darting around the beorc, the cat nudged itself against the back of the boy's legs, knocking him off balance, and sending him tumbling into the water.

Ike had managed to catch himself with his good arm, but was still soaked in the process. Turning to glare at the laguz, he found a nasty grin planted on the animal's face, if one could call it that. 'So, that's how she wants to play, hm?' he wondered.

He wasn't the type to perform an act of mischief, he really wasn't. But he also wasn't the kind of person to just lay down and forfeit a challenge.

Standing up, he made his way over to the shore, where he then took his cape and proceeded to wring it out. His clothes were completely soaked, and that made him very uncomfortable. He was just thankful for the fact that there was no wind, and that the water was relatively warm.

Taking off his cloak and leather armor, he hung them up on a nearby tree branch, where they would hopefully dry in a short period of time. Now he felt uncomfortably itchy, which is why he hated getting his clothing soaked. Removing his blue, gold-trimmed overshirt, he hung that up as well.

That left him with his maroon sleeveless undershirt, which was now clinging to him like a second skin, his khaki pants, and his boots. Because of how lightweight the material of his undershirt was, he didn't mind it so much. The blue overshirt was a much thicker material, which would become a nuisance when drenched. It could handle rain, but not a _bath._

Sitting on the river's edge, he watched as Lethe continued with her fish acquisition. He barely dodged a fish, which was sent flying in his direction. That gave him an idea of sorts. After all, he had taken long enough to wait for a counterattack.

Waiting until she had her back turned, Ike picked up one of the nearby "beached" fish. He drew it back and took aim. "Hey Lethe!" he called.

The cat turned its head at just the right moment…

"Rowr!" _SPLASH!_

Although it hadn't struck the laguz, the fish still sailed by her head close enough to be a surprise. Lethe had reared back to avoid the fishy projectile, but in her shock… had transformed back… and was now sitting in the water, soaking wet.

Ike couldn't help himself, and began laughing uncontrollably. That had been one of the funniest things he had _ever _seen. He normally had a good handle on his emotions, but right now, it just felt too good to stop. So rather than try to stop, he just let it get out of his system.

The orange-haired laguz slowly turned her head until she was looking directly at her target, and narrowed her gaze in a deep frown. It would seem as though he still had some fight left in him.

Standing up, the laguz began stalking towards Ike, in a deliberately slow and menacing fashion.

Finally managing to once again reign in his mirth, the Crimean general looked up to find a rather angry looking Lethe heading his way. "You can't seriously be mad at me for getting even," he reasoned. "That was just payback for earlier."

Judging by how she was still coming his way, it was pretty obvious that she didn't care about whether they were even or not. Ike had a decision to make now. He could either make a break for it, or just sit there and take whatever was coming to him.

Well running wasn't a viable option. That would only create more problems in the future. Besides, he wasn't one to run from a challenge.

Stopping in front of the beorc lord, Lethe reached down and dragged him up by the front of his shirt. Pulling him in so they were face to face, she let out what could be interpreted as a growl. Yep, she was angry. The fact that her tail was flicking around in a rapid manner behind her was also an obvious indicator of that.

"Exactly what part of that seemed funny to you?" she asked through gritted teeth.

He would _not _give her the satisfaction of scaring him. Besides, he had dealt with people with worse tempers than her before.

"I don't know. Perhaps the way you jumped?" he asked casually.

He could almost swear that he could hear her teeth grating against one another.

"Or maybe the look on your face when you ended up in the water," he supplied, adding another tick of annoyance.

A warm breeze began to blow. The sound of it ruffling the leaves of the trees nearby was the only sound that could be heard, along with the calm flow of the water. Other than that, not a sound was made, nor a movement.

With a quick tug on the beorc's shirt, Lethe began guiding him towards the edge of the shore. Ike knew where this was going to lead. She was going to drench him again, only a bit more forcefully this time. Well he'd be damned if he'd go down without a fight.

When she reached close enough to the water, the laguz attempted to fling the mercenary leader in. To her surprise, his previously limp hand reached out and grasped her by the wrist, bringing her along as well.

_SPLASH!_

The two ended up in the water. Ike made a move to sit up, but was quickly tackled on to his back once again. Lethe, now even more angry than before, if that was possible, had the advantage. Now grasping the avenger by the front of his shirt with both hands, she felt like strangling him. Why wouldn't he just give up?

"Hey we're done with… Um… are we interruptin somethin?" came a voice from behind.

The two quickly looked over to spot Nephenee, who was now blushing something fierce, and a slightly confused looking Mordecai.

"If ya'll are busy, we can uh… come back later?" Nephenee attempted to get out without sounding flustered.

Ike noticed her gaze cutting over to the shore next to them. Apparently the wind had blown his drying clothing from the tree branch they had been resting on, and they now littered the ground. That, tied to their current position… with Lethe grabbing his shirt like that. Oh boy… that could be very… misleading…

The two soaked companions glanced at one another before Lethe immediately jumped off of him, and quickly created some distance between the two. Both of their faces were crimson.

Getting out of the water, Ike made his way over to his fallen pieces of clothing and gathered them up. Fabulous… they were still wet. Now he could hike back to camp soggy and irritated. He took solace in knowing that Lethe was in the same predicament. After all, it _was _her fault that this happened. Well… perhaps not entirely. But like they say, misery loves company.

The lord noticed just how many crates worth of fish Mordecai and Nephenee had managed to obtain. The former was carrying six large crates, three on each shoulder, and the polearm user was carrying two cases in front of her, one on top of the other.

Gathering up the catches that Ike and Lethe had made, they now sat at around thirteen crates. Ike managed to carry one with his good arm, Lethe took two, and Mordecai took the remaining two and added them to his current load. It certainly paid to have strong friends.

Glancing back at the river one last time, Ike noticed something that he had failed to see before. Telling his friends to continue on, he set down his crate and went back to investigate.

Stepping out into the water again, something the sword user could have done without, he found a leather pouch, which was stuck on a rock. Opening it he found a small knife inside.

"Lethe must have dropped this when she fell into the water earlier," he concluded. But that didn't make sense. She normally had it strapped to her leg. Looking over the pouch, he found that there was indeed a strap to fasten it to one's leg, but it had torn. That would explain it.

Making a mental note to return it to her, he shoved the pouch into his pocket.

Heading back to shore, he grabbed his crate and quickly went after his companions.

o-o-O-o-o

Ike received several curious stares upon his return to camp. Well, it was understandable, seeing as he was soaked to the bone. While he could not find Lethe or Mordecai, he did run into Nephenee, who still seemed slightly embarrassed.

"General Ike… if I uh, screwed up or something… or if I was botherin ya'll earlier-"

"It's okay, really," Ike chuckled. "It was just a misunderstanding. We got into a bit of an argument, that's all."

The teal-haired woman let out a sigh of relief, thankful that she hadn't done anything wrong. She politely excused herself and went to tend to her own agenda, her service completed.

First, Ike decided, he was going to get a change of clothing. He had no great desire to remain soaked any longer than was necessary. Looking up he noticed how dark it was becoming. They had been out for a while. Making his way toward his tent, he hoped to avoid any distractions or interrupt-

"Sir Ike, a moment if you would."

Like that…

With a heavy droop of his shoulders, the lord turned to face the newcomer. To his great displeasure, it was the Sage from before, Bastian.

"Yes Bastian, is there something wrong?" he asked, hoping that this encounter would not last very long. Although he was on their side, Ike still disliked and distrusted politicians a great deal.

"We are fortuitous, for there are no problems. I merely wish for a moment of your time to speak to you about our dear princess," he remarked, not once losing the air of elegance and class about him.

Ike huffed in annoyance. "What is it?"

A chuckle escaped from the goateed man's lips. "I am aware that fair Lucia has already taken a great deal of your time to elaborate on matters concerning our liege."

"Yes?"

The man's expression turned serious, which made Ike slightly more attentive. "She is Crimea's hope, _our _hope. Things from here out will only become more difficult sir Ike. Mad King Ashnard will stop at nothing to ensure a world filled with strife, sorrow, and destruction. He is a darkness upon the land, and Princess Elincia is the light."

The two locked gazes as Bastian continued.

"You must be strong, for you are what gives _her_ strength."

The mercenary raised a brow at this.

"She has seen the good that you have done, the obstacles that you have overcome, and she tries to follow that example. Her strength and confidence were influenced by _you_. She will need you and your friends in the final battles to come," Bastian continued, his tone still serious, almost commanding.

"And besides, to the victors go the spoils, and their fees," he added, laughing afterwards.

This man certainly was a mystery. Dead serious one moment, then back to his old ways the next.

"What do you think of Princess Elincia?" the Sage asked, hoping to get the mercenary's opinion.

Ike was silent, thinking about what he should say. What _did _he think about her?

"She's different than all the other nobles I've met before," he started, giving his honest thoughts about her. "At first I thought she would just be some spoiled, snooty child, but she isn't. She genuinely cares about people; all of them. She isn't strong, but she has a strength about her that I don't think any of us could match."

Ah, not physical strength, but strength of will. To go through such an ordeal, and still want only want what is best for her country and its people, that wasn't something that just _anyone _could do.

"I think she'll make a good ruler. I have no doubt that her people will love her. After we win this war, we'll see if I'm right."

Bastian couldn't help but grin at the boy's response. That confidence would serve him well. He didn't say "if" they won the war, but "when." It reminded him of Lord Renning.

"She is quite the beautiful lady, would you not agree?" the pony-tailed man asked. Now he was just tormenting the poor boy.

Ike nodded in response. It was true. The princess was without a doubt the very epitome of beauty and elegance.

"Her beauty is as true as that of the moon, delicate and lovely," Bastian continued, looking up into the dusk sky. "Ah, but I have taken enough of your time. My apologies my lord. I bid you adieu." With that, the Sage took his leave.

The moon. Looking up, Ike could see the ghostly image of the now rising moon. It was a full moon tonight. True as the moon. When _it _reveals its true form. He never did specify what the "it" was. So… what if it was the moon? Well a full moon showed all of the moon, so that was its true-! That was it!

Completely forgetting about his want to retrieve a change of clothes, he took off for the horse pen.

o-o-O-o-o

If a patrol had been posted on the western edge of the camp, they would have spotted a lone horse and rider, heading off into the distance.

Ike pressed the steed onward, as hard and fast as it could go. He was all of a sudden grateful for the riding lessons that Titania had given him and Mist. He might not have been capable of performing mounted combat, but he could certainly travel distances with it.

Although it bothered him before, he could now deal with wet clothes. Besides, judging by the dark clouds that threatened to swallow up the moon, his new set of clothes would probably end up soaked before the night was done. In fact, before the night was up, it might not even matter anymore…

_Later…_

After nearly two hours of riding, he could see his goal in the distance. Castle Delbray…

Bringing his steed to a trot, he approached the southern most bridge, which led across the river that cut through the land. There!

There… standing on the bridge, arms crossed, was the Black Knight…

A clanking was heard, and the massive body of armor turned to face its opponent. Dismounting his horse, Ike approached the man.

"I see you have figured out the answer," came the metallic voice of Ike's mortal enemy.

"Why the trouble of a riddle? Why not just tell Mist where you wanted to meet me?" asked the avenger, anger seeping into his voice.

"I desire to fight you, without the interruption or intervention of others. If she knew, then what was to stop her from telling others?"

He was right. If he had simply told Mist, then should would have likely informed everyone else.

"Well why here? Why did you choose to meet me on the same field you gave the message to her on?" inquired Ike, as he grasped the hilt of his sword.

The large man spread his arms outward. "What better place than the obvious? They would think me above such simplicity."

"Answer me one more question…" Ike started, head downcast. "Why did you pick _now?_"

A coarse laugh came from inside the helmet. "Why, do you not remember what day this is? How fitting would it be for you to join your father on the anniversary of his death?"

Ike had had enough. Drawing his weapon he lunged at his foe. Sidestepping the attack, the dark tormentor turned his gaze toward Ike's injured arm.

"There is no point in this folly. You are not at full strength, and are in no condition to fight me."

He turned his back on the boy, shaking his head. "There is no honor in defeating an opponent as weak as you currently are. This match is mine."

That was unacceptable! "Draw your weapon…" Ike ordered.

The dark armored man turned his helmet enough to cast his faceless, shadowed gaze upon him. "There is a line between bravery and foolishness. You would be wise not to cross it."

"It's already too late for that!" roared Ike as he once again charged his enemy.

He was fast, faster than the Black Knight had anticipated. One, two, three slashes made contact with the dark general's armor. The blue-haired mercenary finished by delivering a powerful kick to the man's chest piece, performing a midair backflip away as he did so.

Landing in a defensive stance, Ike assessed the damage he had done to his foe. "Nothing… not a scratch! But how…?" he gasped.

"This armor is blessed by the Goddess Ashera herself," he explained as he took a step towards the son of Gawain. "Nothing short of a similarly blessed weapon can inflict damage upon me," he grasped the hilt of his weapon.

Ike found that Ranulf was correct when he said that this man was fast, especially considering how heavy that armor must have been. He found himself on the defensive as the same sword that cut down his father, Alondite, attempted to do the same to him.

Against a sword of such size and power, there was little he could do, except dodge. That was something he had become proficient at over the course of his group's journey.

He winced as the blade caught him once on the side, tearing both his armor and his shirts underneath. Whirling once, the Black Knight slammed the flat of his blade into Ike's side, sending the boy skidding across the ground at great speeds.

Finally coming to a stop, the Crimean general attempted to catch his breath, and his bearings. Everything was spinning, and… he could hear the clanking. The Black Knight was coming his way. But he was in no hurry.

Stumbling to his feet, Ike steadied himself by leaning on his weapon. The wind picked up, making his cape dance in the breeze. It was just like that night…

'No… I won't meet the same fate. I will avenge father…'

Ike threw himself to the side just in time to avoid a thrust made by the dark general. Slamming into the ground once more, he rolled over and sprang to his feet. Now that his vision had ceased swirling, he could see his opponent once more. That quickly changed as the dark clouds from before engulfed the moon overhead. A chilled downpour soon followed.

"This is the other reason," came the sudden comment from the Black Knight.

"What do you mean?"

The blessed suit of armor turned its gaze to the heavens. "Even if others wanted to follow you, it would be impossible. Laguz can not follow your scent in the rain, and hawk king's eyes and ears are of no use in this weather. They will not find you until it is too late."

"You sound so sure you'll kill me. Well it's not going to be that easy!" Ike challenged, preparing his sword once more.

A laugh escaped the dark helmet. "That is what I find so amusing about you, son of Gawain. You are so determined, even when faced with your own death."

"My name is Ike, not son of Gawain," growled the mercenary leader.

"Ike is your name, but that is not _who _you are. Your existence and your strength are based solely off of Gawain, your father. The son of Gawain is the role you fill. You are his spawn, and the only one that can kill me," the Black Knight elaborated. He sounded almost… overjoyed?

Dashing towards his enemy once more, Ike closed the distance, dodged an attack from Alondite, and leapt at his foe. Thrusting his weapon forward with all of his strength, he had aimed right for the opening in the man's helmet.

A gauntleted hand intercepted the attack, grasping the incoming weapon by its blade. With little effort he flung the younger fighter away, but still held on to the sword, which he tossed away in the opposite direction that Ike had gone.

Ike, now disarmed, look up from his laying position to see his adversary standing directly above him.

Flipping his weapon for an impaling attack, the Black Knight hoisted Alondite up high and grasped the hilt with both hands. "How disappointing. This is the end it seems. A pity you did not take the chance I offered you."

'No… not like this. Not like this… I want to live! I have to stop him!'

Remembering the knife in his pocket from earlier, Ike slipped a hand in and seized it quickly, but stealthily.

"Goodbye, son of Gawain. Your sister shall join you soon enough."

Before he could strike, Ike shoved himself upwards with his left arm, and struck with the knife he had in his other hand. It may have been injured, but desperate times and all…

He was surprised to feel warm liquid flow down his hand. Looking at where he had struck, he was shocked to find the blade of the knife sunk deep within the Black Knight's leg. The blade had entered between where his leg and knee plates met.

The man hadn't flinched however, or even grunted in pain. His blade was still where it had been, poised to kill Ike. Well, it had been worth a shot…

Stepping back, the dark armored man suddenly re-sheathed his weapon. Reaching down, he pulled the knife free from his leg with a quick jerk, then tossed it aside.

To Ike's utter amazement, the man proceeded to laugh. Laugh! "That is what I want to see from you, son of Gawain. That is the fighting spirit that I wish to crush. We will meet again, at Nados Castle. Only one will walk away from that encounter."

"You still have the sword Ragnell, the one I offered your father, do you not?" he asked, as he stared down at the injured boy in front of him.

The lord gave a nod.

"Good. Bring it with you, when next we meet, for it too is a sacred blade, and is capable of injuring me. I look forward to our next meeting."

In a brilliant flash of light, the man simply… disappeared. He was gone without a trace, except for the small puddle of blood that had accumulated from his wound.

Looking at the dark liquid, Ike suddenly found himself overcome by a bout of laughter. It wasn't because he had snapped, or because he thought it was funny that he had survived. He was laughing because of what that blood symbolized. Hope…

Against the Black Knight, he had drawn blood. It was proof that the man behind the dark armor was not invincible. There was hope, and the Black Knight had provided Ike with the key to defeating him.

Too weak to stand, and too tired to try, Ike let darkness claim him. And the rain continued to fall…

-End Chapter-

* * *

Draknal: So, was it well worth waiting for? I hope so. I know that the characters were WAY outta character in the middle part of this story. But I just _really _wanted to write that. I don't know why. Perhaps the chapter jumps around too quickly. I hope you guys don't think so. Oh, and if there were typos then I apologize, I'm rather tired at the moment... Anywho, drop me a review please! It lets me know you love me! Thanks to all my readers.


	7. Pieces in Place

**Of Swords and Claws**

Draknal: Here we are for another chapter of the story. It's been about five months now since the last update of this story, and I find that unacceptable. Part of the reason was due to computer problems, but mostly it was the bane of every author, writer's block! Sorry to all of my readers. It was not my intention to make you all wait for so long. Now enough of this. I'm back, the story hasn't been abandoned, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or any of its characters, just the plot of this story.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Pieces in Place**

Opening his eyes, Ike found himself greeted by the view of a stone grey ceiling. Groaning as he sat up, he noted the soreness in his body, most likely due to his rough handling from the Black Knight. But wait, he had passed out in the rain, far away from any buildings. So… how was he here? And speaking of which, where _was _here?

Looking around, against the wishes of his stiff neck, he took in his surroundings. The first thing that caught his attention was his lack of armor and weapons, which were nowhere to be seen. The second was the set of iron bars in front of him, which could only mean one thing. He was in a holding cell of some kind. Did that mean that Daein had found him? If so, wouldn't they rather have just killed him on the spot? Or was it the doing of the Black Knight? His thoughts were brought to a halt as someone appeared in front of the prison cell.

It was a man who appeared to be in his mid twenties, if he had to guess. He had long white hair which was tied back in a ponytail, and hazel colored eyes, which were now appraising the young warrior. The man wore a slim set of forest green armor, consisting of interlocking plates, signifying that he was a Halberdier. That being the case, he was most likely not a Daein soldier. However, it _did _support the idea that he was someone in a position of power.

Sitting up, Ike positioned himself so that he was facing the bars with his back to the wall. The mercenary's cobalt gaze was unflinching as he looked up into the eyes of his jailor. For several moments they sat like that, neither of them saying a word or moving at all. Finally the Halberdier crossed his arms, turning away from the younger fighter.

"I can tell from your eyes that you are no simple civilian," the man spoke, his voice calm and almost melodic sounding. "I would ask your name."

"It's customary to give one's own name first," Ike retorted.

The soldier frowned slightly. "Of course, where are my manners? I am Lieutenant Jeshik."

"Ike," the blue-haired lord supplied in return. "And you are correct in assuming that I am not a civilian."

"Might I be so bold as to inquire about your background?" questioned the man, nothing but curiosity in his tone.

Taking several steps back, the lord leaned against the wall, crossing his arms in the process. "You may."

A chuckle escaped the Halberdier. "You certainly aren't making this easy for me. I have no hostile intentions toward you, I assure you."

"You have to look at this from my perspective," Ike began. "I am unarmed and being held prisoner. This isn't exactly an ideal situation for me to feel 'safe' in."

Jeshik considered this for a moment, before laughing and pulling out a set of keys. "You are absolutely correct. Here, as a gesture of good faith," he said while unlocking Ike's cell.

The mercenary cocked an eyebrow.

"No tricks, I promise. I'm unarmed, just like you," supplied the lieutenant.

"Where exactly are we, and are you in command here?" inquired Ike, making his way out of the cell slowly, albeit cautiously.

"Castle Delbray. I was charged with the defenses while Sir Geoffrey is away," Jeshik explained. Signaling the young avenger with a wave of his hand, the soldier began to walk down the corridor leading away from the cells. Ike followed, still slightly unsure of his situation.

The sword user nodded in understanding. "So, you're Geoffrey's subordinate," he muttered. That would certainly explain why he was so generous and trusting.

The man offered a smile. "I am. Sir Geoffrey is my mentor and superior."

Turning his gaze to the mercenary, he went on to say, "I have a question for you… Ike, was it?"

The lord nodded, before placing both hands behind his head and interlocking them as he walked. Such a gesture was comfortable, and he had missed being able to do it. That got him thinking… how was it possible that he was using _both _of his arms at the moment?

Flexing his right arm, the avenger found that it barely hurt at all to do so. There was but a tiny spike of pain, a _miniscule _fraction of what it once was. Moving his arms around in more strenuous and complex motions, he found that he was not mistaken about the healing which had taken place.

Jeshik must have noticed this, as he was quick to give an explanation. "When you were found by one of our patrols, you were in quite the injured state. You were brought back here, where our clerics tended to your wounds."

So, they had healed him. Obviously his sword arm had healed well enough on its own that magic was able to finish patching it up. Still, he'd have to be careful not to strain it too much, lest he undo the healing that had taken place.

Hazel eyes settled upon the mercenary. "This leads me to my first question. Why were you out there in that weather? And for that matter, why were you in such a terrible condition?"

The lord let out a sigh, not sure if the Crimean would believe him or not. "I was… meeting someone."

The lieutenant's brows furrowed, as he could sense that the boy was uncomfortable with the topic. "I don't suppose you could enlighten me as to who this person was? I would certainly hope it wasn't a friend, considering the injuries you had sustained."

Ike laughed a bitter, sarcastic laugh, devoid of all humor. "Friend? No, no they weren't. You have heard of the Black Knight?"

Jeshik nodded. "He is the most powerful of Daein's generals, and is said to be a terror on the battlefield. None who have met him in combat have survived."

"I met him in combat, and I still live," the mercenary commented, in no way gloating or even trying to sound arrogant about it. If anything, it was a bitter reminder of his failures against that monster.

The Halberdier's shocked expression was reason enough for him to continue. "Twice I have crossed swords with him, and twice I have been beaten. Yesterday when I faced him… he had me at his mercy, and yet he refused to kill me."

The lance user pulled his gaze from the younger soldier and looked straight ahead. "Forgive me if I find your tale slightly difficult to believe. Why would he hesitate to kill you?"

The blue haired youth shook his head. "Hesitate? No, there wasn't any hesitation. He simply didn't finish me. He wants to face me one more time, but on even ground."

Jeshik ran a hand through his snowy white hair. "I'm afraid I don't quite follow."

"He killed my father, a man who was once known as Gawain, of Daein's Four Riders. Now, he wants to finish what he started, and erase that lineage, which now only consists of my sister and myself," Ike finished, eyes watching the ground as he continued his trek. Why was he telling this complete stranger about all of this? Probably because that was his only hope of getting back to his friends.

"I… see," Jeshik mumbled, taking in everything he had just been told. "I believe your tale."

The lord looked up at the older male. "You believe me, just like that? Why?"

The Halberdier smiled. "Truthfully, I don't know. Sir Geoffrey is a remarkable judge of character, something which I have also picked up while training under him for so long. I can tell that you aren't speaking lies. However, I can also tell that you aren't revealing everything. I can understand if some things are personal, but at least tell me who you are."

Ah, so the answer of "Ike, son of Gawain" wouldn't suffice in this situation? Well, the man seemed sincere enough, so why not tell him?

"I am the current commander of the Greil mercenaries." After a moment of contemplation, he added, "I was also recently put in charge of the newly formed Crimean Liberation Army as their general."

"The Greil Mercenaries… ah yes! You mean the group that assisted in the defense of Castle Delbray not too long ago? I thought their leader was the redheaded axe wielder who led the mounted charge. She was quite magnificent."

The lord was quick to correct the man. "That's Titania, my second in command. I was not present for that fight due to injuries that I had been recovering from."

"And you say that you command the Crimean Army?" inquired Jeshik, wondering what someone so young was doing leading an army in a war.

Ike confirmed this with a nod. "Yes. I don't like it, but I've accepted it nonetheless. And speaking of that, I must get back to them."

'I'm sure certain people won't be pleased with my decision to pursue the Black Knight like I did…' he thought, a frown appearing on his face.

"Very well then. I will do whatever is in my power to get you back to your friends," the lieutenant declared.

"I don't suppose you have my weapons and armor here somewhere, do you?" questioned the blue haired youth, looking around as they continued their walk.

The Halberdier assumed a thinking pose for a moment. "Yes, we do. Your steed was also brought back, and is currently in our stable."

After a few more minutes of walking, the two ended up in what looked like the castle's armory. Looking around, Ike could see that weapons and supplies were more scarce than he had expected. They truly had been on their last legs holding off the Daein assault. If the Greil mercenaries hadn't shown up when they did…

Opening a small cabinet, the green armored man presented Ike with his sword, and oddly enough, the knife that he had used to wound the Black Knight.

'I'm sure Lethe will be glad to have this back. Who would have thought it would come in so handy?'

However, he noticed that something was missing.

"I'm afraid your armor was a total loss," Jeshik elaborated, his tone apologetic. "It was in such terrible condition that no one could hope to repair it." Reaching into a wooden chest on the floor, he pulled out the armor, and showed him just how bad the damage was.

The sword user sighed in dismay as he took the armor from the man. That armor had been with him ever since before the start of his journey. It had been given to him by his father. Looking at it now, he found himself sad to see it in such shape. Several parts of the leather armor had large gashes in it, and many of the fastening straps had been torn off completely. The most noticeable damage was the long slash that ran down the right side of the armor, nearly splitting it in two.

This armor had saved him. Alondite had been thwarted in its attempt to cleave open his side, thanks to this… Every layer of the leather had been torn, and even the two shirts under it. But he himself bore no mark from that attack.

Jeshik noticed the boy's longing stare. Obviously that piece of equipment held a great deal of importance to him. "Ike, I can't send you out without armor. But I think I have an idea."

o-o-O-o-o

Titania massaged her temples, refusing to believe that Ike had once again run off; and after _promising _her that he wouldn't do such a thing! She noticed Soren approaching out of the corner of her eye. "Any sign of him?"

The Sage shook his head. "None I'm afraid. The patrols that were on duty last night said they didn't notice anyone enter or leave the camp. The laguz are currently out looking for him."

That made sense, seeing as they could cover more ground quicker than any beorc could, and their heightened senses would be ideal for locating the missing lord. Hopefully…

"I just don't understand what could have caused him to do something so… so reckless and stupid!"

Letting out an aggravated sigh, the Paladin calmed herself. Letting her emotions get the better of her wasn't going to help anyone at this point in time. "Where do we think he might have gone?"

Soren's crimson gaze directed itself towards the sky. "We know he didn't abandon us. He is no coward, and he wouldn't simply leave his friends, _and _his sister. I believe something may have lured him away… something only_ he_ could pursue…"

Titania's eyes widened slightly. "The Black Knight…"

"Yes. At least, that is what I believe. He would have no other reason to leave when we are so close to our goal. And that might also explain why he has not returned to us yet. Perhaps… he is not able-"

"No," cut in the redhead, her voice composed and calm. "He's alive. Ike's too much like his father to simply give up."

Soren looked over to the axe wielder. Her eyes held such passion and firmness. She truly, adamantly believed that Ike was not dead at the hands of the Black Knight, assuming that was the reason for his disappearance.

'She's right,' he surmised. 'Ike is too stubborn to just roll over and die.'

"I will alert you when we find him," he remarked, before turning on his heel and moving further into the camp.

Had he bothered to look over his shoulder, he would have seen the faint smile on Titania's face. "That's right… _when _we find him," she whispered.

o-o-O-o-o

Running long distances was something most laguz of the beast tribe were accustomed to. Their stamina was much greater than that of a beorc, and their ability to shapeshift gave them a means of which to move significantly faster than their counterparts. Most distances that would wind a normal person wouldn't even cause a laguz to break a sweat.

"_Do you think we will find general Ike?" _inquired a blue tiger, looking over at its companion.

"_Hmph. We had better. Who knows what trouble that beorc has gotten himself into this time," _grumbled Lethe, being sure to keep her pace.

It was a strange thing to be in the presence of laguz when they were speaking in their transformed state. To a beorc, it would sound like series of grunts and growls.

"_Ike is a strong beorc. I think he will be okay," _Mordecai reassured.

This made the higher ranking of the two recall the first meeting between themselves and the beorc they were now searching for. She mentally growled at the thought.

_-Flashback-_

_They had just intervened in a fight between the mercenaries and Daein, slaughtering all who stood in their way. After slaying the second in command, Lethe noticed who it was they had been sent to save._

_It was a blue haired beorc, who barely seemed to be standing. He was covered with several cuts and gashes, courtesy of the one-sided fight they had been engaged in. Looking around, she noticed several dozen bodies, which she was certain she and Mordecai had not contributed to._

'_Hmph. Is this all these beorc could do on their own?' she wondered. 'Had it been a group of Gallians defending the castle, not a single dark armored beorc would have made it inside the walls.'_

_The beorc voiced his thanks, something which surprised her. She also noticed something about his eyes. They held no contempt or loathing in them, only curiosity as he observed the laguz. She played it off as a beorc trick._

_Following them inside the run down structure, she looked over to Mordecai to gauge his feelings on the current situation. He didn't seem too worried at the moment. More than anything, he was busy looking at all the different beorc, probably wondering whether or not they could be trusted. She already knew the answer to that…_

_After a brief introduction from each side, the female laguz informed them of how she did not trust them, nor should Mordecai. The beorc in charge, Ike, seemed disappointed over such news. Again, she played it off as an underhanded beorc tactic. While things had started off a bit roughly, they quickly took a turn for the worse._

_The group's tactician, the one she had come to know as Soren, a beorc whose scent was different from that of the others, had stepped up and wasted no time in insulting the two laguz, using a word they had considered taboo._

"_You think you're humans? The only thing human about you is your conceit! You filthy, hairy sub-human!" sneered the Mage, a wind tome at his side. _

_Mordecai responded by letting out a fierce cry of rage. He then transformed into his beast form._

"_Mordecai! Kill him!" shouted Lethe, intent on ending the beorc, not caring in the least that his allies might attack them._

_The tiger had charged forward, intent on tackling his target, then mauling it. Before he could reach it though…_

_Ike had leapt in front of his spell wielding ally, taking the attack full on. Staggering back from the blow, the wounded Ranger collapsed to one knee. _

"_Ike!" shouted Soren, rushing over to aid his only friend._

"_Ow…" mumbled the avenger, his injuries finally catching up with him._

"_What…?" Lethe looked the beorc over, perplexed by his actions._

_She hadn't expected him to intercept the hit like that. After all, beorc were honorless beings that only cared about themselves… right? He hadn't even received healing from their previous battle yet, and here he was, standing in the way of a charging laguz. And he was still standing after the attack, in a manner of speaking. She would have to keep an eye on this one. He was much different from any other beorc she had encountered before…_

_-Flashback End-_

'He wasn't even angry about our actions,' thought the still running laguz. In fact, he had essentially forgiven them immediately, waving off the attack and saying that it was only a minor injury.

'If he was that strong _then…_'

Then obviously Mordecai was correct with his previous statement. Ike would turn up, and he would be fine.

Speaking of the blue tiger, he had noticed the far off look in his superior's eye. _"Lethe?"_

The cat glanced over at her companion. _"Come Mordecai, we must hurry and find that beorc. The longer we take to find him, the longer the army will have to wait to advance!" _

With that in mind, the two shapeshifters increased their pace and continued their travel through Crimea.

o-o-O-o-o

"There, I believe this will suffice."

Ike looked himself over in the full length mirror that had been provided. He wasn't really one to care about his physical appearance, so long as he was capable of fighting in whatever it was he was wearing.

'Hmm, not bad,' he noted, lifting his cape so he could get a better look at the new set of armor that he now wore.

Instead of his old blue overshirt, he now wore a form-fitting red tunic, which was overlapped by his armor. While it looked, the same, it instead was a replica made from some components of the old armor, as well as new ones that had been taken from unused armors within the castle.

The outside was a layer of leather, reinforced underneath by a thin, but tight layer of ringmail. Under that, another layer of leather had been placed. It was, as Jeshik had put it, as though his armor had been given a second life, reborn as something greater than what it once was.

(A/N: Essentially, his old armor has just had a layer of ringmail placed inside of it, and other pieces have been added to reinforce and fix the armor. He now looks as he should when promoted to "Lord" status in the game. Before this point in the story, he was still wearing his "Ranger" armor. I don't believe in the whole, "You've been promoted, -light beam-, you magically get new armor!" system. Not in a story like this anyway. And as for why he didn't get new armor while in Begnion, they were in a bit of a rush to get the newly formed Crimean Liberation Army on its way. I doubt they'd have had the kind of time needed to craft a new set of armor and all that. In this case, Ike's armor has just been slightly modified and added on to, so this could be done in less than a day. Okay, enough from me! Again, this isn't my own personal design for Ike, it's just my way of explaining its look. He looks like he does in the game now.)

Upon his left shoulder now sat a large shoulder guard, from that of a knight's armor set. Running down half the length of his left arm, starting at his shoulder, was a steel arm guard, which had been fastened to him with several straps.

The lieutenant had asked why he would want a shoulder piece such as that. It looked a little… off. Ike had simply answered by telling him that it was a personal thing. And this was the truth. His current look reminded him a great deal of his father. In a way, he was honoring him by doing this.

"Are you certain that you will not require any more armor than this?" inquired the white haired man.

Ike nodded. "Maneuverability is the one advantage I have with my armor, and I intend to keep it that way. Any more and it would be too bulky for me to fight in. It offers enough protection as it is."

In the area of strength, it was clear that the Black Knight had the advantage. As for speed, they were essentially even. But due to the bulkiness of his armor, the dark general was unable to turn and maneuver as quickly as Ike could. _That _would help in assuring his victory over his foe.

"I wish there was more I could do for you, but I'm afraid that with our limited supplies…" Jeshik trailed off.

Stepping in front of the older man, Ike extended his hand. The other soldier didn't hesitate to secure it in a firm grip, before shaking it, then giving a salute.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Jeshik. I will be sure to tell Geoffrey about everything you've done for me."

The green armored man chuckled while making a dismissing motion with his hands. "Think nothing of it. Were he here in my stead, Sir Geoffrey would have done the same. I am certain of it."

Stepping away from the Halberdier, Ike made his way to the stables, where his horse was waiting for him. Wanting to waste no more time than he already had, the lord embarked on his journey back to where the army was hopefully still waiting.

o-o-O-o-o

Mordecai ground to a halt. Raising his head, he took in several deep breaths, before turning in different directions. Lethe noticed the abrupt stop of her companion and circled around.

"_What is it? What do you smell?" _she inquired, as she attempted to identify the scent that Mordecai had apparently picked up.

"_Ike," _rumbled the larger of the two felines. _"He is… near."_

Focusing harder on the smell that was being carried on the breeze, she too came to the conclusion that it was Ike. The scent of leather and metal, along with something else she identified as being unique to him only. Each living creature had a generic scent of some kind, but they also had traits of the odor that were special to them, and _only _them. This one belonged to Ike. She was certain of it.

Taking a moment to analyze the smell a bit more, she could not identify the stench of blood. That was a relief… but as to why, she did not quite understand.

Adjusting their course, the two once again broke into a run. Pumping their legs as hard and fast, the two laguz soon found themselves weaving through a dense forest. It was thanks to their animal reflexes and senses that they were able to maneuver so easily through the foliage.

Occasionally lifting their heads up, they checked the scent, to make sure they didn't lose it.

"_Mordecai, do you smell that?" _growled the smaller laguz.

She received a nod.

Both laguz accelerated to their maximum speed, with Lethe rapidly pulling away from her partner. During that last check, they had made a disturbing discovery. There were _two _scents now, which meant Ike was being followed. But before they could determine whether the other was friendly or not, the wind had shifted away from them, taking away their advantage of long range tracking.

Bursting out of the thicker part of the forest, they found themselves on a dirt path, which was quite worn. Upturned pieces of earth indicated a horse had recently traveled through that area. All they had to do now was give chase and reach him, before something else did…

o-o-O-o-o

'Brother… please be okay. Mother, father, watch over him.'

Out of all the people worried for their commander, none seemed more distressed than Mist. She knew why Ike had left, and couldn't help but worry for his safety. In her mind, it was _her _fault if anything happened to her brother.

"I could have just kept quiet about the Black Knight…" she mumbled, as she continued walking through the camp, eyes locked on the ground. She had no destination in mind, she just had to keep moving. If she were to sit still, the grief would most likely get to her.

The Troubador had been so distracted, that she failed to notice the person in her way; Until she bumped into them, that is.

With a grunt, a slightly irritated Boyd turned around to find the younger Greil sibling on the ground, rubbing her back.

"Oh, sorry about that Mist. You okay?" he asked, reaching down to give her a hand up.

The young girl nodded, but didn't say anything. It was then that the fighter knew something was wrong with his friend. He recognized this. This was how Rolf normally acted whenever he was depressed. Well there certainly wouldn't be any of that, not with him around!

"What's the matter?" the axe user prodded, hoping to find out what was ailing her.

"Nothing," she muttered, her gaze still focused on the ground.

The green hared youth sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Mist, I hope you don't honestly expect me to believe that. I've dealt with this enough times that I know when someone is lying about "nothing" being the problem."

Being as gentle as he could manage, he tilted the young girl's head up so that he could actually see her face. Her eyes were moist, meaning that she had either _been_, or was _about _to cry.

"I'm worried about him…"

It had been a whisper; one that he almost missed. A huge grin found its way to his face. "You're worried about Ike? Bah, like anything could stop that guy. Other than me!" he quickly added.

"You don't understand!" shouted the previously quiet girl, her tears finally spilling.

Pulling the girl close, Boyd embraced her in a comforting hug, hoping to give some sort of relief. "What don't I understand?" he asked. What could have her so shaken up? Ike had gone off by himself plenty of times, and Mist had never worried this much over any of those previous times.

"He… went to… face… _him!_" she managed to get out between sobs.

Boyd found himself raising an eyebrow. "Who, Mist? Who did he go to face?"

Slowly, Mist's sobs slowed, and eventually died out. "The Black Knight…" she whispered, before sniffling a few times.

The axe wielder was unable to breathe momentarily. 'The Black Knight? The guy that killed the commander…? Oh geez…'

"Don't worry Mist. Ike's tough. He won't lose to that guy. He'll come back…" he soothed, rubbing her back.

"But… what if he doesn't? Then it's all my fault!" she wailed.

Boyd shook his head. This wasn't looking good. It was bad enough she had lost her father to that monster of a swordsman. But to lose the only family she had left… He tried to think about how _he _would feel if he were to lose both of his brothers.

"You'll see. He'll come back. And then I'll beat the stuffing out of him for making you upset like this." And to his surprise, she laughed.

"Thanks Boyd…" she whispered, still clinging to him.

From where she was watching, Titania couldn't stop herself from grinning. 'So, Boyd has a sensitive side after all,' she thought, watching as he comforted Mist.

She let out a frustrated groan. "It looks like I'm not the only one worried about Ike's safety."

"Lady Titania?"

She turned to find none other than Princess Elincia standing behind her.

'Am I so distraught that I didn't even hear her approach me?' she pondered.

"Is something wrong?"

The maiden of Crimea shook her head. "I was wondering… has there been any news of lord Ike?"

She sounded so hopeful, almost pleading. This is why it hurt to have to give her the answer she did. "I'm afraid not. We're still looking for him."

"I see…" Her gaze turned downcast.

"We'll find him," the Paladin assured her.

While it may have been half-hearted, the only remaining member of the Crimean royal family offered a smile. "I know."

"Was there something you needed to talk to him about?" inquired the redhead.

The girl hesitated for a moment. "Actually… yes. There is something I have been meaning to ask him. But he has been so busy lately that I have not had the chance to."

Well this was certainly getting interesting. "Is Ike the only one that you can talk to about this?"

She received a shy, almost embarrassed nod.

"I'll be sure to tell him once he gets back," offered the mercenary second in command. 'After I'm done with him…' she added mentally. If he thought he was going to pull something like this and get away with it, he had another thing coming.

o-o-O-o-o

Ike could tell he was making good time. With the storms from the other day passed, there was nothing to slow down his progress. While he felt guilty for pushing his mount so hard, he knew that there wasn't a moment to spare. The Crimean Army had to continue pressing their way thru Crimea. To lose that momentum meant that the enemy would get that much longer to prepare their countermeasures.

The more prepared they were, the bigger the threat was to Ike and his troops. Knowing that his troops were being put further into harm's way due to his actions was unacceptable. That was all he needed to know in order to keep himself going. But had he slowed down for a moment, he might have caught sight of his pursuers.

"_We are close," _rumbled Mordecai. He could hear the distinct sound of hooves on dirt . _"But I still can't smell the other one following general Ike."_

"_Then we must rely on our other senses," _Lethe growled back in return. _"Just keep moving!"_

Rounding a curve, they caught sight of their leader. But where was the other one that had been tracking him?

There answer came when they saw movement in the bushes alongside the road. It was fast, too fast to be a beorc. If it was capable of keeping pace with a horse, there was no other possible explanation. Did that mean it was a feral one?

The only problem with this was that it was practically on top of Ike.

Being too far away to help the lord directly, the only thing they could do was alert him of the nearby danger. Inhaling deep, both Lethe and Mordecai let out simultaneous roars, hoping to at least give the avenger some warning.

Ike was startled when his steed whinnied in protest, rearing back in sudden fear. Turning to find the source of the commotion, he was surprised when something leapt at him from the side of the road. There was a blinding flash of light, and then…

"Hey! Funny running into you out here."

The lord let out a groan, clutching his chest. "Don't do that. I thought for a moment that an enemy had taken me by surprise."

The turquoise haired feline snickered in response, clearly not ashamed of his actions. "Well maybe you need to be more observant. They noticed," he returned, pointing behind the lord.

Taking a glance behind him, he spotted two more familiar faces, so to speak.

With similar flashes of light, Lethe and Mordecai assumed their humanoid forms. The larger of the two seemed relieved, while Lethe crossed her arms with an irritated expression upon her face.

Ike returned his attention to the laguz next to him. "Ranulf, what are you doing out here? I thought you were supposed to be meeting with King Caineghis. There is no way you made it to Gallia and back in that short amount of time."

The feline in question scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed fashion. "Well, ya see, I was supposed to. But before I even reached the border, I met up with Master Giffca, who relayed a message to me and told me to go back. Apparently the matter was so important that it couldn't wait for the meeting."

A cerulean brow arched in response. "Really, and what might be so important to warrant that?"

The grin on Ranulf's face was so big that it threatened to split his visage in two. "It looks like Gallia will be doing more than just sitting in a corner and providing political leverage for you guys."

"You mean-?"

An enthusiastic nod answered Ike's unfinished question. "You will now be receiving aid in the form of Gallia's full military might!" the laguz announced. "They are already on the move. Speaking of which, you need to get _your _troops moving too!"

This… this was incredible! The power of the laguz would be an _undeniable _boon in their war against Daein and its deranged king. But the fact that king Caineghis had dispatched them before his messenger had sent word was even _more _amazing. To mobilize such a massive force…

The other two laguz present also seemed surprised by this news.

'To think that we are sending the full force of our country,' mused Lethe. Had someone told her a year ago that her country would be coming to the aid of beorc nation and that she'd be play a part in it, she would have laughed at them and called them a fool. 'Things certainly have changed.'

"Now what are _you _doing out here?" asked Ranulf, rounding on Ike with his own question. "And what's with the new look?"

The beorc turned away, hiding his expression. "I had some business to take care of." He quickly added, "And what's wrong with the way I look?"

"Nothing at all. You look much more professional now, like a real leader. What prompted the change?" pressed the Gallian officer.

Ike sighed in annoyance. It looked like everyone was going to know about this sooner or later anyway, so why not just tell him. "My old armor was ruined in a fight."

This caught the attention of all three laguz. They had been with Ike for a year now, and had yet to see a fight leave him in such rough shape that he needed a new set of armor.

"Who was it that did this?" It seemed that the only one willing to ask the question was Mordecai.

The lord opened his mouth to give an answer, but was cut off. "The Black Knight, right?"

Ranulf received a nod in return. 'Ah, I thought so. Ike's a lucky beorc, to have walked away from a fight with the Black Knight twice. That last one must have been pretty one-sided with…'

The thought suddenly reminded him of something he had observed in Ike's presence. Reaching over he seized the lord's sword arm, and pulled it so it was extended in front of him. Ike watched with curiosity but allowed him to maneuver the arm. Poking it a few times, Ranulf seemed content, and released it.

"So, the arm's feeling a lot better now I take it," he grinned.

"Yeah. It had apparently healed enough on its own so that healing magic would finish the job. I still need to be careful though," Ike answered, flexing his arm, before stretching it, to show that it was indeed doing much better.

"Oh, before I forget," Ike began, reaching into his pocket. Pulling out a small satchel, he held it out to Lethe, who immediately recognized it as being her knife. Looking down at her leg, the laguz found that it certainly _was _missing. How had she not noticed its absence sooner? Taking the item with a quiet "Thanks" she re-fastened it to its former location.

"I owe you one for that," the blue haired youth went on to say. When it seemed as though she awaited an explanation, he added on, "I'll tell you later."

The female laguz seemed to accept this, and nodded. She gave him a look that said 'I will hold you to that.'

"Well as fun as sitting around and talking is, I think we should get a move on and return to the camp. Don't you?" inquired Ranulf, his tone light-hearted.

The others unanimously agreed. Remounting his horse, Ike waited for the laguz to transform, and then the group as a whole began their trek to the camp. They could only hope that there wouldn't be any more surprises in store for them.

o-o-O-o-o

Upon entering the camp, Ike was met by several relieved friends, some of which looked ready to give him an earful. The first person to reach him however, had been Mist, who was quick to embrace him in a tight hug.

"I'm okay Mist," he told her, returning the gesture. "I told you I would come back."

His sibling sighed with frustration before pulling away from her brother. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?" she shouted in exasperation. "I thought you might have died!"

The lord chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous manner. The last person he had expected to get reprimanded by was his _sister_ of all people!

When she was finished letting Ike know how irresponsible his action had been, she excused herself. Waiting behind her was Soren, who looked as though he too had something to say.

"I suppose it's your turn to inform me of how stupid I was, huh?" asked the blue haired avenger.

The Sage merely shook his head. "Ike, I have a feeling that no matter what I say, it wouldn't be enough to prevent you from doing something like this in the future."

He had to admit, his raven haired friend knew him pretty well. However, he already knew that such an event would not be taking place again any time in the near future. The place and time of his final confrontation with the Black Knight had been determined.

"Well, I apologize for putting you guys through so much, but I really doubt that if I had just said, 'Hey, I'm off to fight the Black Knight by myself now,' there wouldn't have been any resistance," Ike supplied, trying not to laugh at the latter part of his statement.

While Soren had to agree that he had a point, it still did not excuse his action of leaving without any notification whatsoever. "True, but it _would _have saved us the trouble of taking into consideration other possibilities, such as desertion or kidnapping."

The Branded boy was stubborn and Ike knew this. "Okay Soren, you win. The next time I get ready to run off and put myself in mortal peril, I'll make sure to tell everyone."

"That would be much appreciated. That way we know whether to prepare for a funeral or not next time," deadpanned the Sage.

Ike could only gape at his friend. Due to his usual personality, it was hard to tell whether or not he was serious. But after a moment of silence, he could see the edges of the magic user's mouth begin to turn upwards, signaling a smirk.

"Oh thank the Goddess, I thought you were serious there for a moment Soren!" laughed the lord, glad to see his friend had _some _sense of humor left in him. The Sage joined in with a light chuckle.

Ike was thankful for moments like these. With the war so close to an end, the fighting had become worse than ever, leaving everyone more on edge. They were fighting a desperate enemy, one easily comparable to a wounded animal. But to know that his friends hadn't changed much because of the war was a relief to him.

Taking his leave, Soren left the lord to deal with anyone else who might've had something to say to him. Ike of course, knew there was one person over everyone else that he had to talk to. He was surprised when they weren't waiting for the chance to ream him about certain decisions he had made. Knowing that he'd have to face her some time sooner or later, he set off in search of his second in command.

He found her tending to her weapons. Titania was always one for careful detail, making sure everything was set and ready for whatever might occur. Already he could see that the Paladin had sharpened and cleaned her three other weapons. She was now finishing up her last weapon, a beautiful silver spear. Engraved in it was the symbol of the Crimean royal guards. It looked like it had been made with precise craftsmanship, care and quality apparent in every inch of the pole-arm.

Looking up from her weapon to the person that had approached her, the redhead smiled. "Hello Ike. Welcome back."

Well… that had certainly not been the reaction that he'd expected from her. "Look, Titania, about-"

He was stopped when the Paladin held up a hand, signaling for him to stop. "Ike, whatever it was you did, and wherever you went, it's none of my business. All that matters is that you are back safe and in good health."

Ike knew when something was amiss, and _now _was a perfect example of that. Considering how she reacted the last time he went off on his own, it was highly unlikely that she would simply cast aside such a thing so lightly.

The lord sighed, resigned to his fate. "It _is _your business Titania. You're my second in command. I should have at the very least told you about where I was going, but I don't think for a second you would have liked it."

Setting down her now polished weapon, the Paladin sat attentively and listened to what it was Ike had to say. 'I was going to discipline him, but clearly he's not a child anymore. He's thought about his actions already it would seem,' she thought with bemusement.

"By rights, I shouldn't be alive right now," he went on to say. Watching the woman for a reaction, he didn't miss the furrowing of her brow. "I met the Black Knight again in combat. While I landed several consistent hits, it did nothing to him."

"I was told that his armor was blessed by the Goddess Ashera, and the only thing that could damage it was a weapon with the same blessing. He had me at his mercy, and yet he spared me. He wishes to face me again, one final time," he explained.

"Ike, are you really going to accept his challenge?" inquired Titania, not at all liking where this was going. Twice the Black Knight had challenged him, and twice now he had lost. To have done so twice, and yet kept his life, was a major accomplishment for him. However, she doubted the dark general would be so generous in their next, and apparently final encounter.

And then there was the matter of his armor. It was blessed by the Goddess? If that was the case, how could they hope to defeat him?

"I have to accept his invitation, Titania. This may be the last chance I have to face him safely." Before the second in command could protest, he continued on. "Think about it. Right now, he has only been offering me the chance to face him. But how long will that last? He is determined to end my father's lineage. How long will it be before he begins _hunting _Mist and me?"

This shocking realization hit the Paladin like a charging Wyvern. If Ike declined the challenge, then he would inadvertently be placing himself and Mist in harm's way. The malicious swordsman would indeed come after them. And somehow… she doubted that she, or anyone else in the Greil Mercenaries for that matter, would be able to stop the Black Knight, should he bring the fight to them.

But… she couldn't just let Ike condemn himself to death by going to face the strongest of the Daein Riders by himself again! "Ike, there has to be something we can do. How can you hope to fight him with such a handicap?"

A wry smile made its way to the lord's face. Signaling her to follow him, Ike led the axe wielder to the supply tent, in the heart of the camp. Pushing back the tent flap, he entered and began rooting through the carefully organized items. Titania stood back and watched her commander with curiosity.

Eventually, the blue haired youth found what he was looking for. Pulling out a large bundle, wrapped in a fine cloth, he grinned in triumph. Setting the item in question down, he began to unravel the cloth which contained the key to his victory. There, still in flawless condition, gleaming in all its glory, was Ragnell.

It was truly a sight to behold, and Titania found herself growing more and more curious over the details surrounding the weapon. "Ike… what blade is that?"

Grabbing the golden blade by its midnight black hilt, he held it in front of himself with both hands. "This is the sword Ragnell, one of two blessed blades. It is the counterpart to the Black Knight's sword, Alondite. And right now, it is the only chance I have of being able to topple that monster."

"Where did you acquire this?"

Ike looked hesitant for a moment. "From the same man who killed my father. The Black Knight offered him this weapon when they fought. He turned it down, and when the fight was over, the Black Knight just left. So, I brought it back with us and wrapped it up. I had no idea how powerful it was at the time."

A gift from the enemy. While she was skeptical over whether or not the weapon was actually capable of harming the Black Knight or not (Because who would willingly hand over the key to their own defeat to their enemy?), she found that it had helped Ike to calm himself, and that was enough. It gave the boy hope, and she'd be damned if she was the one to dash that hope by inquiring any further into the blade's power.

Covering the weapon once again, Ike strapped the parcel to his back. Before he left the tent, he embraced the Paladin in the same manner a son would their mother. "Thanks for not freaking out Titania. I won't be running off any time in the future without you guys."

The redhead smiled as she returned the embrace. "I've heard that before Ike."

He winced, knowing that she was right. "Well… last time was kind of due to an unexpected circumstance. But, that won't be happening again. The next time I face the Black Knight will be at Nados Castle, so I have until then."

Nodding in understanding, Titania let him go. Watching him leave the tent, she couldn't help but think, 'Make your father proud, Ike.'

o-o-O-o-o

Looking down at the bundle strapped to her leg, Lethe wondered what the beorc had meant earlier when he had said, 'I owe you one for that.' In fact, she was still curious as to how he had gotten a hold of her knife in the first place. This was the reason she now found herself looking for the blue haired lord.

She had found him walking through the camp with a rather large item strapped to his back. However, before she could talk to him, he had been intercepted by the beorc princess, who invited him into her tent to talk. While she had been curious as to what Elincia had wanted, she wasn't enough so to the point where she would listen in on their private talk.

After several boring minutes of waiting, she watched Ike exit the tent say something to the princess. Elincia suddenly had a smile on her face, and she stepped forward and hugged the lord for a moment, before backing away in an embarrassed manner. The two shared a laugh before each went their own separate way.

'I wonder what that was about,' thought the laguz, ears twitching in a curious fashion. Once again tailing the lord, she watched him head off to one of the areas he normally trained in.

Reaching his destination, Ike set down the wrapped item he had been carrying. Uncovering the blade Ragnell, Ike once again seized it by its hilt, but with only one hand this time.

The first thing he noticed was its overwhelming weight. He could carry it with one hand with little to no trouble, but to actually _wield _it one-handed would be quite the task. Its weight was similar to that of an Armorslayer, which he had only used once or twice. As such, he was unfamiliar with using such a weapon.

His swords were normally much lighter, and because of that, packing less of a punch. This did not bother him though, as he easily made up for it in speed and skill. He would have to familiarize himself with the blade, which would be a task in itself. Then he would then have to work on being able to wield it flawlessly with only one hand.

The Black Knight was capable of doing so, which meant that he too would have to learn how to do so. Otherwise, he could imagine himself being at a disadvantage. It wasn't as though he would be doing much with his free hand, but it was still necessary. What if one of his arms was injured in the fight? If that were to happen, and he was only capable of wielding the blade with both hands, he would be unable to continue the fight. That being the case, he'd be better off just bowing his head and waiting for the end to come.

However, if he could use it with only _one _hand, then he could switch off from time to time, and use a second hand if needed, for leverage.

Giving the blade a few experimental swings, he couldn't help but grasp the reality of the situation. He was _really _going to face the Black Knight in combat one last time. The weapon he held now in his hands was going to be the determining factor. He now had no excuse to lose to the dark armored man. Their weapons were of equal power, and they each possessed at least one similar sword style. The fact that Ike knew more styles than just his father's would aid him in the fight to come.

The only advantages the Black Knight had now would be his size, strength, and armor. While he could take direct hits and shrug them off as if they were but a tap on the shoulder, Ike could not. He would still have to remain cautious. Speaking of cautious…

"You need something?" he asked.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Lethe standing with her arms crossed. The laguz nodded, before approaching the beorc. "I believe you owe me an explanation, beorc."

Resting his hands atop Ragnell the same way he had seen the Black Knight do so many times with _his _blade, Ike contemplated what to say. Well, he knew he should at least tell her where he gotten the knife. He didn't want it to look like he was a thief of some sort.

And so he told her of how he had come by the knife, when he found it in the river, and of how he attempted to return the item. Her sudden disappearance at the time had made that impossible though, so he was left with the option of holding on to it until an opportunity presented itself for him to do so. He went on to explain how, thanks to the small blade, he was able to stave off death.

While she had frowned during some of his tale, mostly the part involving his confrontation with the Black Knight, she was at least appreciative of the fact that he was being honest with her. He continued on with his story, detailing his involvement at Castle Delbray, up to his reunion with the laguz on the dirt road back to the camp. It sounded as though he had been having quite the eventful day so far.

Ike noticed how the female laguz's gaze was appraising Ragnell. That being the case, he went on to explain the significance of the weapon, and what he had planned to do in the way of training himself to become familiar with the sword.

"Actually, if you aren't busy, Lethe, would you mind helping me with my training?" asked the lord, picking up his blade and resting it against his shoulder.

He was asking her for help once again? Well, it _would _be beneficial for both of them. And it _had _been a while since the two of them had engaged in a good spar.

"I will help you, but only if you will return the favor tomorrow," she answered, watching for his reaction.

The smile she received made her want to grin. "Sure thing! Thanks."

She nodded. "Of course. That is what friends are for, right?"

-End Chapter-

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Draknal: Well there we go. Things are falling into place quite nicely I would say. Sorry again for the major delay, _and _for the massive author's note in the middle of the chapter. My bad… my bad… Anyway, drop me a review please. I'll be working hard to get another chapter out as soon as I am able. Thanks again to all my readers and reviewers!


	8. Charge! (Part I)

**Of Swords and Claws**

Draknal: Hey all, I'm back. There's no excuse for how late this update is, so I won't try to give one. I would have released this chapter about 3 months sooner but my computer ended up dying, taking all I had done so far with it. In addition, I didn't feel that what I had written was on par with my previous work so I took some time to correct and improve it.

And yes, I have not abandoned writing. It just hasn't been coming easily to me.

Oh, and I realize that canonically Largo hasn't been recruited yet, but whatever, right? I'm the author and I'm changing a few things.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or any of its characters, just the plot of this story and what I make up.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Charge! (Part I)**

After three days of traveling, the Crimean army found its way to the base of the Marhaut Range, a treacherous series of mountains that acted as a natural divider between Crimea and all of its neighboring countries. Soren had deduced that such a point would be absolutely paramount to Daein's defense effort, and was likely to be heavily guarded.

Concurring with his friend's analysis, Ike had issued the order for Janaff and Ulki to scout ahead and report their findings. At the moment the rest of the troop was awaiting their return, ready to move out if necessary.

Ike had his own priorities to deal with. Presently he was meeting with Soren, Titania, Ranulf, Elincia, and her three retainers, discussing the battle that was sure to come. Luck had not been on their side so far when it came to Daein resistance, so there was no point in believing said luck would change now.

While the higher ranking members of the mercenaries may have been preoccupied, the others were left to their own devices. Some, like Mia, were busy readying the weapons they planned to use in the fight to come. Others like Boyd, who was busy resting under the shade of a tree, were enjoying the time they had to simply relax.

Of course, these actions were only true for the beorc of the company. Laguz were diligent creatures and often didn't waste what time they had to themselves by expending it on something like being lazy. There were exceptions, but not many. They also had the advantage of not requiring time for preparation. So long as they could stand and move on their own they had everything they needed to fight. The beauty of being a living weapon…

It was in this area however that a lone exception stood. One laguz within the mercenaries _did _in fact have a weapon of steel prepared for the next fight. To any passerby this would seem odd, and would require them to perform a double-take. But for the members of the Crimean army this had become a matter that each person just chose to accept.

Sure enough, amidst the congregation of laguz was Lethe, her self-crafted sword strapped to her back. While she had learned the way of the sword from Ike and often indulged in making use of those skills, she preferred to stick to her laguz heritage for the most part and joined combat in her beast form.

As to why the laguz had gathered, aside from the fact that battle had yet to be joined, there was a topic that had come up between them; it concerned their resident avenger and Commander, Ike. Each of the laguz had come to respect the young beorc in some way, and felt indebted to him. But… was that the _only _reason they were serving under him for the time being? Were they doing so merely because they had orders to do so, or that they felt the need to repay him? No.

They were each doing so of their own volition and they knew it. Had they been given the option to part ways with Ike's company, it was likely that none of them would. The beorc was on a righteous path, one that would hopefully lead to a better tomorrow. The odds of any beorc other than him attempting such a thing were slim to none. In that respect, the young Commander was unique. He didn't do something because he was ordered to, or because he knew he would be rewarded for it, but because he knew it was the _right _thing to do, a trait he had undoubtedly inherited from his late father.

His willingness to work alongside the laguz, and do so without any qualms, had surprised many of the members of the current group. Reyson, the white prince of Serenes Forest, had been shocked by the beorc's openness and acceptance. He had been cold to them when he had first encountered them, and even attempted to use the forest's forbidden power to eliminate them all, and yet…

'He still went out of the way to save my sister, and with her, the forest itself,' he thought. 'And he did so without any intention of personal gain.'

"I believe I may yet change my opinion of beorc, should Ike continue to prove himself," the heron commented, adding his thoughts to the current discussion. "His selflessness is quite remarkable."

He was curious to see what his fellow laguz thought. Mordecai nodded in agreement. "He has a big heart, and Ike does not insult the laguz."

"I was slightly surprised at how he treats laguz. To him, there is no difference between our species. He even stands up to those who would call us slaves, or sub-humans," added Muarim.

After his encounter with the blue-haired youth in the desert, he knew that Ike, like Tormod, was one of the few trustworthy beorc in the world. To him the laguz were not simply allies, but friends.

"I believe that he will be the one to put an end to this conflict. Although by beorc standards he is very young, he stands as an accomplished leader. I doubt there are any among us in this army who would not follow him to the end."

None objected to Reyson's observation.

Muarim chuckled, folding his arms. "It is a shame he was not born a laguz. But then, maybe that was for the best. Had he been so, then we might not all be here right now."

Lethe, who had been mostly quiet, found herself curious about something mentioned in the previous statement. What if Ike _had _been born as a laguz? What kind would he have been? Beast? Bird? Dragon?

She found herself finding it difficult to picture him with wings. Rather, he would be better suited as a member of the cat or tiger tribes. It was almost comedic, imagining him with fuzzy ears atop his head and a tail swishing around under his cape.

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard the sound of flapping wings. Looking to the sky, the four gathered laguz found that their scouts had returned, and were heading right for the assembled group of higher-ups.

o-o-O-o-o

Ike watched as Janaff and Ulki touched down. The two had only been gone a short while, meaning that they hadn't needed to go very far. That meant only one thing… there was opposition.

"What do you two have to report?" he inquired.

"Daeins," Janaff began. "And a _lot _of 'em. It looks like they really don't want us going any further."

"Aside from that which we already know, do you have any information which might give us a better understanding of what we expect to face?" asked Soren. It was obvious he was irritated, and he did nothing to hide such a fact.

The bird-tribe member huffed in indignation. "Geez, don't get your robes in a twist. Yeah, it looks like they're pulling out a lot of stops here. I could see trebuchets, stone launchers, wyverns, and even some feral laguz. They've secured the top of the mountain pass, and it looks like they've got no intention of giving it up."

Ike nodded. He had expected things to get slightly more difficult since the last time they had engaged the Daeins in combat. However, this time it wasn't the number of enemies that made it difficult, but the terrain advantage that they had over the Crimean Liberation Army.

The lord looked over to the other of the two birds. "Ulki, do you have anything to add?"

The normally silent hawk gave an affirming inclination of his head. "I overheard them mentioning traps in the form of falling boulders. They are also under orders to fight to the last. For them, surrender is not an option now."

The avenger looked over to his stoic friend and tactician. "Think you can use this information to come up with a plan?" he asked.

His crimson gaze soon locked with Ike's own cerulean one. "Yes. Just give me a few moments, and I'll formulate a plan of attack. You two," the Sage pointed toward Janaff and Ulki. "Come with me."

Ike watched his friend lead the two hawks away. It would soon be time to mobilize. Adjourning the meeting, he went to gather up the members of his mercenary group.

Given the information that had just been relayed, the Crimean general had a good idea of who he would be taking into combat. However, he would have to hold his judgment until Soren came up with an effective strategy for ascending the mountain pass and disabling as many Daein siege weapons as they could in as short an amount of time as possible.

Boulders, siege weapons, _and _wyverns? This was going to prove challenging indeed. Undoubtedly they would succeed, but the question was, at what cost? It was essential to link up with the Gallian army, but not at the price of the lives of his friends.

While he had the option of sending in some of the Crimean and Begnion soldiers that made up the bulk of their army, he knew it would be pointless to do so. The paths leading up the mountain were likely very narrow, ideal for defense. That being the case, it would be a massacre if he simply attempted to outman the enemy. The troops would be filtered in and picked apart by enemies from above. There would be too many casualties, and that was unacceptable. This meant that only a small strike force consisting of his mercenaries would have to handle the attack.

He would think more on the matter later. For now he had to rally _his_ men.

o-o-O-o-o

For Oscar there were many things in life that were certain, such as Boyd's laziness. However, there was something that he hadn't expected to add to said list of certainties. And currently that uncertainty was once again nagging him, much to his chagrin.

"Ah, my rival, here you are!"

The Paladin put on a weary smile, not allowing his annoyance to show. "Kieran, is there something I can help with?"

He normally didn't have a problem with people, but Kieran was just so darned _persistent._ The axe knight's claims of rivalry didn't bother him, as he believed it helped the crimson clad man to work harder in an attempt to be the better of the two. What _did _bother him though, were the man's efforts to re-recruit him into the Crimean Army.

"So you are here preparing your weapons for the coming battle, an excellent idea! However, a true soldier would have prepared their weapons some time ago in anticipation of battle at any moment! You are slipping, my rival," the man grinned, happy to have one over his acclaimed eternal rival.

"Sorry Kieran, but I've been busy with other duties." This was not a lie. Oscar was a vital part of the Greil Mercenaries, dealing with most of if not all of the culinary duties for the group, as well as being in charge of the organization of the supplies. It was something that he had discovered he had a knack for. On top of that, he had both of his brothers to look out for, and often found himself dealing with issues concerning them as well.

"Hmm… taking on extra duties and still finding time to prepare one's weapons. That is a fine quality, one that I have no doubt the Crimean Army could use!" the axe-wielder beamed. And so it began…

With a sigh, the Paladin set down the spear he had been sharpening. "I thank you for the invitation Kieran, but I'm afraid I must decline. I've told you, I have no interest in rejoining the Crimean Army."

"But why? Surely you must have a reason! Do you believe the Crimean Army to not be worthy of your talents?"

Unfortunately, Oscar had learned long ago that Kieran was _extremely_ stubborn, and likely to get only more so as conversations progressed. He let out a breath of relief though when he saw who was walking up behind the persistent knight.

"Greetings Commander Ike."

Kieran immediately spun around and offered a salute. "Hail, Commander Ike! What do you require of us, sir?"

The mercenary looked from Oscar to Kieran, and immediately knew what had transpired. "Kieran, I believe Geoffrey was looking for you."

"Sir Geoffrey seeks my presence? Very well, I shall report to him post-haste! With your leave, Commander!" shouted the knight as he took off in a jog, hoping to locate his superior.

When the overly-energetic man was out of sight, Ike turned back to Oscar. The Paladin offered his thanks, which the blue-haired youth simply waved off.

"I take it he was trying to recruit you again?" he inquired.

Oscar chuckled, finding it amusing that Ike knew the axe-wielder's personality so well. "Yes, he was. It certainly doesn't look like he intends on giving up on that matter any time soon."

The lord nodded in understanding. "Well if it's worth anything, I'm glad you'll be sticking around with us. Honestly I think we'd be in trouble if you ever left."

"If by "in trouble" you mean "hungry," then yes I believe you would be," laughed the eldest of the three brothers. He had become aware a while ago of how much everyone in the mercenary outfit enjoyed his cooking. He found it quite flattering.

Ike allowed himself a laugh as well, knowing just how true his statement was. "Actually Oscar, there's something I wanted to speak to you about."

The cavalier nodded, letting Ike know that he was listening.

"It concerns you and your brothers," the Lord clarified. "It's about something I heard Boyd say awhile ago."

Oscar arched an eyebrow in response. Something Boyd had said? That could only mean trouble…

o-o-O-o-o

"Well what about-"

"Janaff…" growled Soren, "When I want your opinion on tactical advice, I will be certain to ask for it. Until then, I ask that you refrain from spouting every nonsensical and tactless "plan" that crosses your mind."

The hawk threw his arms up in resignation. "Fine! Geez, I swear you beorc can be so _touchy. _I'm just offering a bit of advice, you know, as your elder."

The Sage merely rolled his eyes in return. "When it was said, "With age comes wisdom," clearly they were not referring to you."

Despite the fact that the black haired beorc had just insulted him, Janaff found himself grinning. He had to admit that out of all the beorc in their group, Soren was probably one of the most amusing, simply because of his sharp tongue and wit.

"All right, so then what do you advise, Mr. Tactician?" inquired the bird, looking at the map that Soren had drawn up and begun labeling.

With the information the hawks had provided, he had been able to assign the appropriate marks and symbols that would represent the enemy's locations and entrenchments. Assuming the Daein commander wasn't aware of the aerial scouting, they would be unlikely to change any of their current defense formations or troop assignments.

"Well, a direct attack isn't feasible, as they have the advantage over us in every way. They have siege weapons posted at key points, the terrain gives them a natural defense, and the number of archers they possess would make an aerial assault suicide," commented the Sage, pointing to each location as he made mention of them.

"Hm… maybe… no, that wouldn't work," he trailed off.

Janaff watched as the beorc continued to glance over and analyze every part of the map. His sharp eyes were able to catch every change in the tactician's facial features. His curiosity was piqued when he noticed a glimmer in the Sage's scarlet orbs.

"Got something?" he asked.

A wry grin formed on the boy's face. "I believe so."

With that, he turned and without so much as a word left the tent. For some reason that he could not place, Janaff felt uneasy about the look he had received previously.

Inclining his head toward the tent's flap, the elder hawk signaled to his partner that they should follow the Sage, lest they miss some important part of the plan that was sure to be explained elsewhere.

They found the beorc standing out front of the command tent with Ike, Oscar, Boyd, and Rolf. It seemed however, that the brothers had just finished what business they had with the commander, as they were gathering their belongings and preparing to depart.

Ike acknowledged the presence of the two laguz with a wave in their direction.

"It looks like you two have a big part to play in the upcoming fight," commented Ike when the two were close enough.

The hawks regarded each other with a fleeting glance. "Is that so?" asked Janaff. "I thought you said flyers were going to be sitting this one out."

Soren, who the statement was directed at, nodded. "At first I thought that would be the case. But I'm fairly certain that this plan will go off without a hitch, so long as everyone does their job and they don't get cocky."

The elder hawk feigned mock hurt. "Why are you directing that at me? It's not like I've ever been arrogant about my skills."

Ulki wisely chose to remain silent. It was well known that while Janaff was indeed one of the most talented air-based fighters they had, he _did _tend to show off.

"Who else is involved in this plan?" inquired Ike, looking to his close friend.

Soren folded his arms and closed his eyes, his brain working a mile a minute. "I believe…" he started, "That would be best left up to you Ike. I suggest you bring at least two more air units, and Volke. Anyone else that comes along is left to your discretion."

The General nodded and set off to gather the remainder of the forces necessary for the operation to come.

Ike immediately began mentally running through the current roster of freelancers under his command, comparing their strengths and faults with one another.

Soren had mentioned that ballista were present, among other siege weapons and a mass of archers, so it wouldn't be prudent _or _wise to bring any of the Pegasus knights with them. They were better suited to quick, hard strikes, or battles that involved numerous spell-casters. Physical defense was _not _their strong point.

They did, however, possess units that _could _take a hit from a ballista and still escape the fighting. Their resident wyvern knights Jill and Haar, assuming the latter didn't fall asleep in the middle of the battle, would be perfect for the upcoming fight.

The lord sniggered at the thought of Haar sleeping during an enemy engagement, arrows and ballista bolts flying past him as he snored undisturbed, completely oblivious to the danger around him. That wouldn't be an issue though, as Jill seemed to have made it her duty to keep the older flyer in line.

"Something funny?" inquired a voice from behind.

"Just an interesting mental image," Ike answered without glancing over his shoulder, a grin still present on his face.

"Care to share?" pressed the now curious feline. Ranulf quickened his pace so that he was now walking alongside the beorc.

After elaborating on the matter, Ike was joined in laughter by his companion. "As bad as that is, I can see him doing that."

"So," started the heterochromatic cat, "To what do we owe the pleasure of a stroll through the camp?"

"Choosing who to bring along for the next battle," remarked the avenger offhandedly. "I'm honestly having a bit of trouble thinking this one out. There are way too many variables to take into account this time. Geez… listen to me. I sound like Soren," he chuckled.

"Need a hand?" came the feline's inquiry. "I can at least make some suggestions."

Ike nodded appreciatively, glad to have some assistance with his task.

Over the next ten minutes the two discussed who would be best suited to the join in the fight to come, then proceeded to gather the chosen.

o-o-O-o-o

Soren looked out over the assembled group, for the most part pleased with the selection of fighters present.

Shinon sat off to the side, twirling an arrow around in one hand, his chin resting in the other. It was obvious the Sniper was bored. Oh well, he'd get his fill of action soon enough.

Across from him were Oscar and his brothers. They seemed to be talking amongst themselves about something concerning a new attack they had come up with. It quickly escalated into arguing, followed by an insult match between Boyd and Rolf, the latter having insulted his brother's skill with a bow.

Ike and Mist stood behind the brothers, the Valkyrie giggling at the antics of the other group. Her brother merely shook his head.

Among the others gathered were Jill and Haar. Haar sat reclining against a tree, undoubtedly attempting to sneak some sleep in before the meeting began. Jill for once had yet to chastise her companion, and instead had joined him, sitting next to the man.

Largo and Calill were also present, the pair conversing with one another.

Volke was nowhere to be seen, but he was sure the assassin was somewhere in the vicinity.

The gathered laguz consisted of Janaff, Ulki, Lethe, and Ranulf. The collective sat away from the rest of the group, no doubt talking about matters concerning laguz, perhaps feral ones.

The last members of the selected group consisted of Geoffrey, Kieran, and Titania.

Clearing his throat, Soren gained the attention of all that were gathered.

"I believe we happen to be one short at the moment," commented Geoffrey, looking around for their most shady member.

"I've been here," deadpanned Volke, stepping out from the behind the tree that Haar and Jill had been resting against.

Soren resisted the urge to smirk. Instead he directed his gaze to the assassin, whose charcoal eyes were staring straight back at him.

Breaking eye contact with the mercenary, he addressed the now complete ensemble. "Because our enemy has the advantage of terrain and superior positioning, we need to strike hard and fast. You will be broken up into several groups, each with an assigned task. Starting with our cavalry…"

Fifteen minutes later the assembled group marched for their destination.

-Marhaut Range-

Growling in frustration, General Gromell looked over the positions of his troops yet again, for the seventh time in an hour. What else was there to do on such a Goddess forsaken mountain range, other than wait and twiddle one's thumbs?

Why was it that Petrine was allowed to take to the offensive and go after the Crimeans, yet he was stuck on some damned mountain waiting? Her title of "Rider of Daein" was the only reason and he knew it.

'Hmph. She'll screw up eventually and then _I _will be the one to take her spot.'

His musings were cut short when one of his scouts called out to him.

"Sir, we have two enemies approaching. They appear to be hawks."

Gromell gazed into the distance and sure enough he could make out the silhouettes of two birds. Scouts perhaps?

'No matter. They'll be dead soon enough.'

"All archers ready bows. Fire when I give the command," ordered the blonde General.

In response, fifteen arrows were drawn and notched in their respective bows. Three large ballista bolts were armed and tracking their targets.

"_They are preparing to fire on us," _screeched one hawk to its partner.

"_I can see that. Or have you forgotten who you're talking to?"_ retorted the second bird laguz. _"Can you remind me again why we're doing this? This sort of thing screams 'suicide', after all."_

Ulki took a moment to ponder his friend's query. _"We are doing it because we were asked to."_

The first bird let out a long low pitched whistle, the animal equivalent of a human sigh. _"Geez… you could come up with something a little better ya know. How about, we're doing it because we're the best they've got, or we're the only ones who can?"_

His partner gave no response.

"_Eh, fine I'll work on it later with you. Looks like things are about to get fun now."_

"Fire!"

Eighteen projectiles were loosed and making their way towards the avians.

Janaff and Ulki split off from one another, one pulling a hard left while the other went right. The Eyes and Ears of the Hawk King dove hard and fast, breaking speeds that would make any other creature, winged or not, envious.

A ballista bolt soared overhead of Ulki, far from its intended mark. A chorus of whistling sounds followed, compliments of a missed arrow barrage.

Janaff was busy weaving in an out of a follow-up wave of projectiles, his flips and other aerial acrobatics only serving to mock the men who had attempted to shoot him down.

It was odd. This was almost too easy. The situation changed when bright particles of light began to condense around Janaff before violently impacting him in a powerful display of magic.

The hawk was slammed backwards, causing him to lose altitude momentarily. 'Damn,' he thought vehemently, 'I wasn't expecting long-range light magic.'

This would prove to be problematic. Unlike other types of long-distance magic, light magic like Purge was not projectile-based. As such it was far more deadly with its accuracy, and a great deal harder to evade.

They had not anticipated this, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. As it was it wouldn't matter for too much longer. Their only purpose was to serve as a distraction. They had done an exemplary job so far.

Doing a quick somersault to avoid an oncoming arrow, Janaff cast a quick glance to his partner. Ulki seemed to understand the situation. Folding their wings in the two hawks began to dive at their prey, who seemed well aware of the fact that he was being targeted. The Bishop in question ceased his casting and began making a dash for the line of archers, hoping that such action would deter his attackers.

Janaff suddenly pulled away from their intended target and redirected himself towards a nearby ballista. Meanwhile Ulki continued on his course.

Gromell cursed his luck. He now had to choose between saving either the caster or the siege weapon. He couldn't afford to lose either, but seeing how easily the hawks had dodged the earlier barrages, he knew that if he tried to protect both targets, he would inevitably lose both of them. A full barrage of projectiles would be enough to save one, as it would be unlikely that the hawk would be willing to sacrifice its life for the sake of eliminating its prey.

But when it came down to it he would either have to sacrifice a healer or a ballista. In the end he made his decision. "Protect the ballista at all costs!" ordered the general.

While losing either would hurt, the ballista was far more vital to the defense of the mountain pass. As ordered all archers focused on Janaff before releasing another volley of arrows. The hawk veered off from his target, but grinned mentally to himself.

Ulki's claws tore into the unprotected Bishop's back, rending his flesh. The man let out a scream of pain before he stumbled and collapsed to the ground, his newly acquired wound bleeding profusely. More than likely without the attention of another healer he would die within minutes, effectively removing him from the fight to come. That was one less problem for the incoming force to deal with.

Gromell and his men were so focused on the threat above that they failed to notice the reinforcements that had emerged from the tree line at the base of the mountain range. Leading the charge was none other than Ike.

The element of surprise did not last for long. However, it was enough to allow the charging force to reach the two bottom paths of the mountain.

"General Gromell sir!" cried one of the sentries, having just noticed the new attackers out of the corner of his eye. "There are enemy reinforcements making their way up the mountain!"

Biting back a curse the blonde general turned his eyes towards the bottom of the mountain they had fortified. Sure enough the Crimean Army was closing the distance, gaining ground. He would put a stop to that.

"All siege weapons focus on the new arrivals! Release boulders two and seven!" came the command.

Ike had to hand it to his raven haired friend, his plan of attack seemed to be working well so far. The enemy was distracted, and that gave them the opening they needed. Heading up the left path were Ike, Mist, Shinon, Soren, and Largo.

Titania, Geoffrey, Oscar, and Kieran had been selected to take the right path, each with a passenger on their mounts, save Kieran. Given the choice between riding with his brother or with Kieran, Boyd had elected to go with Oscar. Said brother was reasonably understanding on the matter.

A loud rumbling alerted the two different task forces to the oncoming boulders. Fortunately they had planned ahead for such a threat. Drawing his Blizzard tome, Soren proceeded to display his mastery of wind magic, chanting a brief incantation before directing the summoned magical energies at the rolling obstruction.

Ice crystals began rapidly forming around and on the rock, causing its path to become erratic. With its surface no longer smooth and rounded, it started jerking violently around the downhill trail before being launched off the path and subsequently away from its targets. Ike let out a sigh of relief, glad that Soren's plan to deal with the rolling threat had worked. He watched for a moment as it tumbled harmlessly down the side of the mountain, no longer capable of doing them any harm. That was _one_ down.

Glancing over at his mounted allies he saw that their boulder had not been dealt with yet. A delay on their part perhaps? He was concerned only for a moment before refocusing on his own task. They were more than capable of handling the threat themselves.

"A solution to our current predicament would be most welcome," intoned Geoffrey, glancing over his shoulder at Calill.

The blonde Sage held a crimson tome in her left hand while her right was pointed skyward. "Relax hun, these things take time," she grinned.

Out of the corner of his eye, Geoffrey could make out a glowing object high above them. Trusting the caster's words, he urged his steed forward, disregarding the shrinking distance between him and the object ahead.

Bringing her hand down one quick motion, Calill watched as her Meteor commenced landfall. Reaching terminal velocity in seconds, the magical projectile slammed into the boulder with earth shattering force, utterly pulverizing it and sending small harmless fragments raining down around them.

"Good enough?" inquired the Sage, unable to keep the smugness out of her voice.

The teal-haired man nodded. "That should suffice."

Rolf couldn't help but admire the display of power. "Wow, that was awesome!" he called out from behind Titania.

Boyd, who couldn't help but think about how lucky Rolf was that _he_ got to ride with Titania, nodded in agreement. It made him think that maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to antagonize Soren so much in the future. After all, if Calill could do this with _fire_ magic, he didn't want to see what Soren was capable of with _wind_ magic.

"All siege weapons fire!" shouted Gromell. He hadn't expected the mercenaries to deal with the last threat in the way they had. They were supposed to have been crushed!

Three ballista and two stone throwers launched their projectiles in a cacophony of sound.

Mist's horse reared back and let out a whinny as a ballista bolt slammed in the ground not more than two feet in front of it. Surprised by how close the weapon's proximity to her was, the Valkyrie was nearly thrown from her horse. She was thankful that she had managed to stay on however, as a fall back down the path they had just traversed would likely result in serious injury.

Largo grinned as he watched a siege bolt speeding his way. Turning his axe on its side he spun once and used the momentum he had built up to swat the projectile out of the air, knocking it uselessly to the side where it clattered to the ground.

Shinon whistled in appreciation. "Not bad. I think I'll stay behind you for now."

"Gwa ha ha! That was nothing my small friend!" guffawed the berserker, clearly happy to show off his strength and reinforce his claim that he was the strongest axe man in the world.

While it was reckless to have done that, Ike had to admit that it was still an impressive feat to be sure. 'But still, we can't risk any more of those being fired our way.'

Fortunately, that wouldn't be an issue for too much longer.

"Hurry up and load another bolt!" commanded a Sniper to his ballista crew. "We missed our target and they're still coming!"

Re-sighting on his targets, the bow wielder shrieked in surprise as a large cat leapt into view, up from the side of the cliff! It was swiftly followed by a second.

Ranulf gave his opponents no time to react, swiftly pouncing on the nearest archer and sinking his teeth into the man's neck. With a gurgled scream he collapsed under the laguz's weight and was silenced.

Another archer was taken down by Lethe, who had slashed the man across the chest twice, before bounding behind him and finishing him with a swipe of her powerful claws to the back of his neck.

Fiddling for his bow, the Sniper in charge stood no chance as the two felines double teamed him and made quick work of him.

"_Whose plan was it to scale that accursed mountainside?" _panted Lethe, her breathing hard and ragged.

Ranulf responded with a fanged grin._ "That would be me. Why do you ask? Too tough for you? Don't tell me you're getting soft." _He too was breathing hard, not used to such a demanding workout in his beast form. Leaping from one ledge to the next had been tough work, but even so it still didn't prevent him from teasing his comrade.

"_Gee, I bet Ike would _love_ to hear about this. Considering how much of a tough time you give him for not being as strong and enduring as a laguz…" _trailed off the higher ranking cat.

The orange feline growled at her ally, her glare promising death if he spoke a word of it to the beorc General. Such an action only elicited a laugh from Ranulf, who clearly was unfazed by it.

"_All right, all right. I'll be sure to keep my lips sealed," _he chuckled.

Content with the other beast's response, Lethe peered over the edge of the cliff they had just spent the past few minutes ascending. Looking from side to side, she took note of each group's progress. The barrage from the siege weapons had done little to slow them. Now they had one less to be concerned with.

Fortunately for the advancing groups, the boulders fired from the stone throwers had overshot their targets. _Un_fortunately, that meant that the siege operators could now judge properly for their second shots and make up for their first wave. The next shots would likely be very close.

General Gromell watched with building fury as the ragtag group of mercenaries continued their advance. This was ridiculous! They were an elite company of Daein soldiers hand picked to guard this mountain pass. And yet these upstart rebels were making quick work of them.

"S-Sir! Ballista number one has been disabled!" called a Sniper as he peered over the edge of the cliff face. "Two sub-humans are making their way up the side of the cliff!"

The blonde leader bit back a curse as he cast his gaze over the battlefield once more. Turning on his heel he marched off towards the stables.

"Sir, where are you going?"

Gromell didn't even bother looking over his shoulder. "To get my Wyvern. It is time I put an end to this," he growled back to his subordinate.

o-o-O-o-o

"_Ooh! I think they're finally taking us seriously now!" _screeched Janaff as he performed a summersault and repositioned himself behind a wyvern knight that had been pursuing him.

Using his talons he slashed at the dragon-like beast, causing it to cry out in agony. The rider attempted to swat the hawk away with his lance, but was instead rewarded with a few pecks to his armor.

Pulling back suddenly from the creature, the elder hawk watched with amusement as a wave of arrows passed through the air he had been occupying.

Ulki appeared to fairing just as well as his counterpart. However, it was obvious that both hawks were beginning to tire. Their movements had become less precise, and their dodging had begun lagging slightly, reaction times slightly off. Such long term engagements were not something that they were used to, especially while dealing with attacks from both air _and _ground.

Unlike Janaff, the younger hawk found himself dealing with two wyvern knights. For the most part, he concentrated on evading their attacks, rarely getting an opportunity to counterattack. Such a situation was not ideal.

A roar from above caught his attention. Had he not been concentrating on dodging at the moment he might have smiled internally, for this was a sound he recognized.

The Daein knights had no time to react as one of the riders was skewered by an incoming javelin, compliments of one Jill Fizzart. The young redhead watched her adversary topple from his mount and plummet.

"Let's go," she commanded to her wyvern. Looking over at the bird she had assisted she nodded once to him, a gesture meant as a "You're welcome."

She needed to follow her orders and begin harassing the enemy troops from above. With luck, it would draw their commanding officer away from his post. Sure enough, in the distance she could see a large black wyvern making its way toward her.

-In the Daein camp-

Watching Gromell take off on his wyvern, Haar couldn't help but laugh to himself as his own dragon touched down in the rear of the encampment. Going over and around the back of the mountain peaks hadn't been easy or at all quick, but it seemed it would be worth it.

The one-eyed captain called behind him. "Looks like you're clear to…"

"…go." It seemed his passenger had all ready taken off, more than likely to the shadows. Shrugging once, the knight urged his steed back skyward. He had accomplished his current goal.

"Think we can go high enough to catch a quick nap?" inquired the Dracoknight.

His response was a low whine from his mount. The mahogany-haired captain sighed with mild exasperation. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We _do _have a battle to win. It was worth asking at least."

Grabbing one of two javelins that were secured to his back, the former Daein soldier lobbed it with ease, taking out the gunner for one of the ballista perched at the cliff's edge.

All attention immediately shifted to the new threat. Commanding his steed to flank hard right, Haar watched with amusement as the archers began releasing round after round of arrows his way. They were no longer coordinated and working as a well oiled machine. Instead they were disorganized and scattered, lacking a commanding presence to keep them together. The seeds of chaos and disorder had been sown.

'It's only going to get better from here,' mused the Captain as his mount dove to grab an unfortunate archer who had attempted to flee.

Five seconds later it was discovered that said man could not fly without the aid of a wyvern.

o-o-O-o-o

"We need to keep our momentum! Push through them!" cried Ike as he performed a spinning duck under a lance that was thrust at him.

Coming up from his maneuver he returned the favor to the unfortunate Halberdier that had attempted to block his path, driving his blade through the man's chest.

Things had been going well, their progress relatively unhindered. There had been a few close calls with various ballista bolts, but nothing _too _serious.

"Incoming!" shouted Shinon as he notched yet another arrow to feather his opponent with.

Chancing a look skyward, Ike's cerulean eyes widened momentarily. Diving and tucking in his limbs, the young general allowed himself to roll with the mountain path's slope for a few feet.

_**WHUMP!**_

Kicking out his feet to stop himself, he looked behind him to see the shattered remnants of a large boulder, compliments of a stone thrower. Two Daein soldiers had unfortunately not taken notice of the projectile, thus resulting in their demise.

'They don't even care about friendly fire,' frowned the blue-haired avenger.

Pushing the matter aside, the sword wielder dashed back up the incline that had only moments ago saved his life.

Soren, he noted, was busy handling a knight who hadn't thought better of engaging a Sage at close range. It was almost hypnotic watching the caster juke from side to side, barely avoiding lance thrusts meant to end his life, only for him to retaliate a moment later with but a simple incantation.

Thrusting his free hand towards the heavily armored man attacking him, Soren released a small torrent of wind. At first it seemed as though it had done nothing, until gale force winds erupted from the back of the man's armor clad form, a cloud of blood being carried with them. To anyone that had bothered to look at the carnage, they would see that everything inside the armored suit had been utterly shredded.

Snapping his gaze away, Ike noted very quickly just how outmatched his sister currently was.

A General had thought her easy prey and had attempted to skewer her mount with a well placed javelin. While the attack had failed, it was enough to spook the horse, causing it to rear back and dismount its rider.

Tumbling to the ground, the daughter of Greil grabbed her head in an attempt to steady her now swimming vision. With a gasp she rolled to her right, dodging a thrust from the bulky man's Silver lance.

Scrambling to her feet before the man could attack again, she drew her own weapon. Parrying and riposting was not an option at the moment. Her foe was much larger and several times stronger than she was; not to mention his weapon was built for reach, unlike hers.

'I guess that means I have to improvise,' thought the Valkyrie, remembering Ike's words.

_Any obstacle can be overcome with the right application of thought and execution._

The General was larger than her, which meant he was heavier. As such, he was slower. In that case, she had a plan.

The dark armored man thrust at her again, which she was prepared for. Side-stepping the attack she dashed forward, ready to enact her idea. She was caught off guard when her foe brought up the back of his weapon and caught her with a powerful blow to the stomach, sending her reeling.

Air rushed from her lungs as she staggered back, collapsing when her balance failed. Her vision had darkened slightly, people and objects replaced by shadowed shapes. Only one thought passed through her mind.

'I have to move. I have to _move_!'

The Daein soldier's footsteps echoed loudly in her head as he clanked towards her, his lumbering form no doubt carrying a wicked smile beneath his helmet.

A burst of heat erupted in front of the Valkyrie, causing her to shield her face momentarily with her arms. When the heat died down, the orange-haired girl chanced a peak between her arms.

The General had been hit in the chest with a blast of fire magic, as was evidenced by the dark scorch marks left behind from the attack. Such a maneuver had only momentarily stunned the large beorc, however, and he had begun advancing on Mist once again.

She chanced a momentary glance at the Sage who had assisted her. Soren was still engaged with his enemy, each person lobbing spells at the other. Yet somehow, he had managed to find a moment to protect her.

'I'll need to thank him once this is done.'

Getting to her feet once more, the young sword wielder charged her foe. The man attempted a strike in her direction. As per Ike's instructions from her last spar, she juked right, out of the weapons reached for the moment.

Once close enough, she followed her actions from before when the man attacked. Spinning around the strike, she followed her movement up with a roll forward, going under the butt end of his weapon as he attempted to stagger her once more.

Coming up from her roll, Mist jammed the weapon into the back of the large man's leg, right between his armored plates. With a roar of pain the man went down to a knee.

The sister of Crimea's general wasted no time in dislodging her weapon before striking once more at the man, this time between his helmet and chest plate. Blood bubbled up as the Daein fell forward and slammed face first into the ground, his body twitching moments later.

_**Thump! Ting!**_

The two sounds occurred almost simultaneously. Whirling around with her weapon in a defensive posture, the younger progeny of Greil was shocked to find a Halberdier's corpse falling over, an arrow in the middle of its forehead. If the noise was any indication, the arrow had been launched with enough force to penetrate all the way thru the skull to the back of the man's helmet.

"Ah, thank goodness."

Looking over her shoulder, Mist spotted her approaching brother, relief evident on his face.

Helping his sister up, the avenger looked to his allies and nodded his thanks. Soren returned his nod while Shinon simply scoffed and walked off.

"You okay?" inquired the Lord.

His sister took several deep breaths before answering, attempting to calm her nerves. "Yeah, I think so."

Instructing Soren to continue forward with their Sniper ally, Ike volunteered to bring up the rear with Mist. The Sage obeyed without question, knowing that they had to continue their push.

A moment later his sister had regained her mount and was prepared to begin their ascent once again.

"You had me worried there for a sec Mist," started the blue-haired youth. "I guess it's a good thing we decided to keep Shinon around huh?"

The Valkyrie broke into a fit of giggles. "Uh huh. See, he's not so ba- Ike look out!"

-End Chapter-

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Draknal: As I said, I am _not _abandoning my stories. Please drop a review if you feel like it, it'd make my day (month really). Again, I'm not expecting too many, since I doubt that many people are really even keeping track of this story anymore. I don't fault them. I'll get the next one out when I can think it up.

If you have any questions then shoot me a PM. I'll answer that quickly, since it's linked to my e-mail. I check that daily.


	9. Chapter 9: Charge! (Part II)

**Of Swords and Claws**

Draknal: Hey guys. It's been a while I know, and for that I am sorry. Hopefully most of you read the author's note that this chapter replaced. My work schedule is something fierce and I get little time to write as it is. When the contract comes to an end that will change, but who knows when that will be? As it is, I've scraped enough collective time together to bring you _this! _It's a bit of a long chapter, so I hope it will suffice as an apology for the unforeseen delay this time around.

I would like to address something that a few people have mentioned to me; the progress of the coupling/romance in this story. Let's look at this. We have two individuals with different races, backgrounds, and personalities. They aren't exactly the soft and cuddly type (don't even think of pointing out Lethe's laguz form, I will cuff you), and are strong willed individuals. They are more focused on the fight ahead of them, and the duty they must see through. I can't see a "love at first sight" thing working for them in any way whatsoever. However, by developing the bond of camaraderie they share, as well as their mentor/pupil bond, they can work towards the relationship being developed, albeit at a slow and steady pace. It's getting there folks. Trust me. I love romance, and I wouldn't dream of keeping it from you in this story. Just have faith and stay the path.

Okay, that rant's done. Um… forgive me if there are grammatical errors or other mistakes. I haven't had the normal amount of time to proof-read my work. I'll do that once I have a bit more time on my hands. Probably this upcoming weekend, as I have work tomorrow and Friday, so don't feel the need to point such things out. I'll take care of it, I promise. And let me say this, I will definitely be doing everything in my power to get the last few chapters out to you as quickly as I can. Why? Because I am _really _having fun writing the fights with the Black Knight and Ashnard. Those chapters are going to be seriously entertaining. And the characters themselves give me so much to work with. It's going to be great.

Oh, and yes I know that when laguz transform their eyes change color as well for some reason. I'm making an exception to that, for cats anyway. Anywho, on with the show.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or anything therein pertaining to it, only the plot of this story and whatever else I make up.

Last Minute A/N: This _is _a doozy of a chapter. If you aren't up for reading it all in one go, don't. Just take it in pieces. Oh, and I've been trying to upload this chapter _ALL _day but the servers have been down with an Error 503 message. Hence why it's so late in the day. Anyway, Merry Christmas and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 9: Charge! (Part II)**

_-Previously-_

"_You had me worried there for a sec Mist," started the blue-haired youth. "I guess it's a good thing we decided to keep Shinon around huh?" _

_The Valkyrie broke into a fit of giggles. "Uh huh. See, he's not so ba- Ike look out!"_

-Presently-

The swordsman turned with barely a fraction of a second to spare. Bringing his weapon up into a defensive posture, he felt a massive muscled form slam against his blade, its claws flashing out repeatedly in an attempt to lacerate the beorc it had targeted.

Mist had seen the tiger laguz crouched and ready to pounce from the ledge above them. Her timely warning had more than likely spared her brother a gruesome and no doubt quick death.

One of the feral beast's claws had met with Ike's blade, the steel of the weapon stopping it dead in its tracks; the other struck the young general's shoulder guard, the metal shrieking in protest against the strength behind the deadly natural weapons of the tiger.

Ike was thankful for his change in weaponry before the start of their assault. One thing he had found when attempting to wield Ragnell in a training session was that the blessed weapon did not lack for weight. To help build up the strength necessary to wield the holy blade, the Lord had opted to set aside his Regal Blade for now and instead use a heavier Steel Blade. It weighed almost as much as the sword of Ashera, so it would suffice for the time being.

_-Flashback-_

_Pulling the golden blade from the ground, Ike passed it slowly from one hand to the other, testing its weight. He needed to become proficient in wielding the weapon with only one hand. It wasn't a mild interest or a hobby for his off time, but something that _needed _to be done. If not, it could be the difference between life and death when confronting the Black Knight. _

_That monster was capable of wielding the blade that was in every way this weapon's twin, and with but one arm. He was _strong, _in both skill and physical power_. _That was undeniable. The simple fact that the man had killed his father, Greil, was proof enough of that. In order to stand even a fraction of a chance against the Rider of Daein, he too would need the strength and ability to wield Ragnell with but a single hand._

_Ike had no delusions about the duel that was to come. It would be a fight to the finish. There would be no "draw" and the Black Knight would not allow him to walk away once more. Two would enter and only one would emerge victorious. But there was so much more riding on this than simple victory. His life wasn't the only thing he would be fighting for. The victory of the Crimean Liberation Army, the success of Princess Elincia, revenge for his father, the life of his sister…_

_He would receive no mercy and no quarter. In return, the blue-haired avenger would have to be willing to do the same. Not that that had ever been in question. _

_The fight would be a serious matter, the most important one of his life. It would_ _be _ugly_, and the son of Gawain knew it. He would have to bleed and sacrifice for his victory against such a foe. As such, he was aware of the fact that he'd need every advantage he could get against the dark armored General. _

_If one of his arms was knocked out of commission and he was only capable of wielding Ragnell with two hands, he'd be done for. He would be sluggish with but a single arm. One wouldn't even be able to call it a fight any longer at that point. It would be folly, and a slaughter. _

'_I won't let that happen,' scowled the young Lord. Settling on using his right hand, Ike set the armament in a posture that placed it in front of him, angled slightly forward. His left arm remained parallel to the ground, out a few inches from his side and ready to help with counter-balancing the weight of the blade._

_A quick hop forward started his practice routine, followed by a horizontal slash to his right. Dropping low and using the momentum of his swing to his advantage, he spun once and continued through with a backhanded diagonal slash. _

_He paused for a moment, halting his movements. The blade's weight wasn't too bad when used to make attacks flow from one right into the next, but sudden changes in direction meant that the momentum and mass of the sword would work against him._

'_I'll have to work on that,' mused the general of the Crimean Liberation Army. _

_Ike had come to the decision that Ragnell would not taste Daein blood until he faced the Black Knight. Instead he would have to opt for a different weapon to use in combat; one that was similar in weight to the blade he held currently. _

"_I wonder if we have any Steel Blade's left in the supply caravan?" he pondered, receiving no response to his query in return._

_Lunging into a thrust, the training session started anew. _

_-End Flashback-_

The Lord grit his teeth as the beast's full weight finally impacted him, his legs giving out from the hundreds of pounds bearing down upon him. He could feel the air leave his lungs as his back slammed into the ground.

"Brother!" shouted Mist, her steed defying its rider's will and sprinting away from the threat that had arrived, its survival instinct in full drive. Try as she might, there was no way to assist her sibling without dismounting her spooked horse, which would likely result in her own injury.

One paw remained on the young beorc's shoulder guard, its claws still scraping against the metal. The tiger snapped its jaws towards the sword wielder's neck, but rather than flesh, its fangs only met his blade. His defensive maneuver had saved his throat, but left the creature's other paw free to slash at his chest. The armor held, that time…

He could see the insanity dancing in the once normal laguz's golden eyes, no intelligence to behold, only madness and bloodlust.

The beorc kicked with his right leg, his steel edged boot meeting the underbelly of the mad laguz. It grunted in response, resulting in an exhale of foul air that wafted around the edge of the blade that held its jaws at bay. For a moment, the blue-haired youth thought he might retch. It smelled of blood and carrion…

Ike felt his strength beginning to wane, his arms slowly lowering towards his body, the beast's mouth coming closer as well. Whereas the cat tribe was built for speed and agility, the tiger tribe was built for pure, unstoppable power.

'I'm not dying here!' growled the mercenary internally. But what could he do? Overpowering his opponent was out of the question.

He found his query answered when an orange blur slammed into the feral one from above, no doubt having followed its same strategy of pouncing from the overhanging ledge.

The tiger found itself dislodged from its prey, hooked claws tearing a chunk of leather from the beorc's chest armor, revealing the ring mail underneath.

Rolling over and springing to his feet, Ike looked towards where his attacker and savior had both gone. He spotted a familiar orange cat squaring off with the feral one, which now sported four long gashes across the left side of its face. Also notable were several puncture wounds in the beast's back, oozing with red life-blood. A result of Lethe's initial pounce no doubt.

The two laguz began circling one another, each looking for an opening to exploit. It ended abruptly when the tiger charged its smaller adversary, claws extended and jaws wide open. With a powerful leap the violet-eyed feline avoided the attack all together, her own claws digging into the creature's back once more as she used it as a springboard.

With grace that only a cat could possess, Lethe performed a mid-air flip with a twist that landed her next to her commanding officer. The blue-haired avenger watched his companion's acrobatics with silent awe. A flash of light returned the laguz to her humanoid form a moment later, her blade in hand.

"I thought I smelled a feral one skulking around somewhere nearby," she remarked, before smirking at the mercenary beside her. "Having trouble, beorc?"

"Ha," he huffed, dry humor evident. "We'll see how well you fair when a seven hundred pound beorc falls on you from thirty feet up."

Lethe barked out a laugh, finding the mental image amusing. "The day such a large beorc catches me off guard will be the day I give up fighting."

The jibe was meant in good fun, and both persons were well aware of it. Ike used the momentary calm to observe his companion. He could tell she was breathing harder than normal, no doubt having overexerted herself in her earlier ascent of the mountain. In addition, how quickly had she needed to move to intercept the feral one in time? It was unlikely she would admit to tiring.

"So what's our plan?" he asked, eyes shifting back to the now recovering tiger, his weapon set in a defensive posture.

Her answer to his query was blunt and to the point. "Simple. I kill it."

He looked over Lethe's haggard form once more. Clearly she was tired, but her pride wouldn't allow her to acknowledge that. If she went at it by herself in her beorc form, all she would do is place her life in unnecessary danger.

"Not alone you aren't," contested the Lord. "You're in no shape to take on a feral one by yourself."

Any protest the violet-eyed laguz was about to make was silenced by movement from her crazed kin. With deadly grace the tiger began to circle its prey, moving smoothly and with purpose, hoping to find an exploitable flaw in the defenses of its adversaries.

Ike and Lethe set themselves back to back, their intention being the prevention of allowing the beast an opening to strike.

"Looks like you don't get a choice in the matter now," commented the blue-haired avenger, eyes following the creature as it passed in front of him.

The response he received came in the form of a hiss as Lethe set herself in a neutral stance, ready to attack or defend on a moment's notice. Her tail whipped back and forth quickly, an indication that she was tense, and for good reason. Fighting a feral one while not transformed was an unfavorable match after all…

The sound of displaced dirt and gravel was the only warning the two humanoids received when the mad beast finally charged. It came from Lethe's side with the intent of bypassing her and striking at Ike's unprotected back.

In response the female laguz unleashed a powerful horizontal swing of her blade, the strike aimed low as to take out the tiger's legs. At the last second it used its powerful hind legs to leap over the attack.

Moving to recover, Lethe watched as her companion spun and lashed out with a kick towards the creature's head. His steel-toed boots would more than likely do a fair bit of damage, or at least disorient and daze the feral laguz long enough for them to capitalize on the advantage.

Again the tiger dodged, lowering its body under the attack just enough for it to feel a slight breeze from Ike's leg passing over it.

Now the positions of beorc and laguz were reversed. For a split second the Lord and tiger sat with their backs to one another. Each acted immediately, with Ike pivoting on his left heel and drawing his blade back for a stabbing thrust. At the same time the crazed monster leapt straight up. Using its powerful back legs, it kicked off of the son of Gawain, its claws digging into the beorc's side as it propelled itself away from the retaliating human.

Staggering back with a grunt, the leader of the Crimean Liberation Army grabbed his now injured left side. 'That's going to bruise,' he frowned. 'I'm lucky that didn't shatter any ribs.'

His ally was all ready in front of him, set in a guard stance to defend her disoriented comrade.

Thankful the beast had not kicked him towards the ledge of the mountain path, Ike reoriented himself and assumed his previous stance.

"You can still sit this one out beorc. I can handle this on my own," chastised Lethe with a hint of teasing.

The avenger shook his head. "I need to pay it back for that last hit."

Grinning at the stubbornness of her friend, the violet-eyed laguz took slow steps backwards until she and Ike were side by side, each with weapons raised.

"Ready?" inquired the Lord.

The feral one let out a low growl as it crouched down.

Ike was met with a scoff of indignation. "Please, you had better lead beorc, or you won't be able to keep up."

Madness clouded eyes passed from target to target, attempting to determine which to kill first. _The human_. Yes. _That one_. Its mind made up, it charged.

"Now!"

Three bodies were set in motion in less than a fraction of a second.

Two blades flashed out in unison, one blocking a set of claws while the other struck home.

One body pitched forward and collapsed in a heap as its hind legs gave out, its tendons cut.

The feral beast let out a pitiful yowl as it lay crumpled on the ground, its body unable to respond to its own will. Ike moved to finish the creature, but was stopped by his companion.

"Let me," she offered.

The beorc gave no resistance, simply allowing her to approach the downed laguz.

"Better to die by my hand than be left to madness," she muttered, drawing back her weapon. One clean blow ended its life.

She stared on as the light faded from the creature's eyes, silence her only companion in that moment. Yet another life claimed by the sick machinations of Daein beorc. 'Rest now brother. I'll see that the humans responsible for this pay dearly.'

Returning her weapon to its sheath, she turned and made her way back to her companion.

"You see, I was more than capable of handling it on my own," grinned the female laguz as she came to a stop in front of the avenger.

She opened her mouth to say more but was cut off as Ike seized her by the waist with one arm and swung her so that the shapeshifter found her back against a wall of rock, their positions reversed. She was now between the mountain and her friend.

Being in such close proximity to a beorc, especially in a position that could be mistaken for an intimate one, was something she would never get used to.

"What is the meaning of-!"

_THWUMP!_

The cat laguz found herself interrupted once more as something massive impacted behind Ike. Peeking over the Lord's shoulder, she found the spot she had previously been standing in now occupied by a large ballista bolt. Her gaze cut from the projectile to her ally.

"You okay?" he inquired, genuine concern evident in his tone. His eyes were still glancing over his shoulder at the large weapon, even as he addressed Lethe.

Extricating herself from the mercenary leader, she stepped out from the safety of the cliff face and scanned the ridge for where the shot may have come from.

"Just fine, beorc. That shot was nowhere near me," she said. She paused momentarily, inwardly fighting over her next action. "…But thank you."

The cat girl moved to continue her trek up the mountain when the scent of copper caught her attention. Blood.

A few quick sniffs pointed her in the right direction. Marching up to her leader, she continued to test the air with an occasional sniff. Such actions earned her a questioning look from the avenger.

"You're injured," deadpanned the feline.

He could have rolled his eyes, but opted not to. "It's just a scratch, nothing to be concerned about."

He made a move to bypass the laguz, but was stopped as she grabbed hold of his arm, keeping him locked in place. Prodding him with her free arm, she took satisfaction in seeing him flinch when she located the wound.

"You beorc are soft," she chastised. "Too easily injured, but I commend you for attempting to ignore the wound and fight on."

The wound in question was on his left side, a gash from where he had been kicked by the feral one. From the looks of it, it was relatively deep.

Reaching into the satchel she kept tied around her right leg, Lethe drew forth a vial and tossed it to the beorc. The blue-haired youth recognized it as an Elixir, a much more potent form of Vulnerary.

Removing the stopper from the glass container, Ike knocked back the contents and offered thanks to his ally. He didn't so much as flinch as the healing effects of the potion took hold and began mending his injured flesh. Patting the general area of his wound, he found smooth skin had been knit together, leaving not so much as a blemish. The pain from the depth of the injury had been reduced to a dull ache, something he was more than capable of dealing with.

Offering a thankful nod to the laguz, he tossed the empty vial back, which Lethe returned to her satchel. As one, the duo continued their trek up the mountain, hoping to meet up with their allies from the other path at the junction ahead.

X-x-X-x-X

The mounted contingent of the mercenary squad had substantially less trouble than their other allies, the speed at which they were ascending the mountainous terrain playing an important role in the matter.

The Daein troops above had attempted to stall their advance by letting loose another boulder down the mountainside. The tactic failed spectacularly once more as Calill made short work of the rolling obstruction in a manner reminiscent of the previous one.

Quickly realizing that a change of tactics was in order, the Daeins resorted to meeting the mounted charge with troops of their own. As such, the black-armored beorcs had set up a blockade at the point where the two mountain paths converged. If they allowed the Crimeans to pass that point, it would be a straight shot to the top of the mountain, and stopping the mercenaries would become nigh impossible.

Geoffrey and Titania were heading the charge, flanked on their left and right respectively by Keiran and Oscar.

"I would have thought these dastards would put forth more effort to encumber our advance!" called Keiran, taking note of the lack of enemies they had encountered thus far.

"Well you know what they say, 'Never look a gift horse in the mouth'," countered Boyd, both thankful and slightly disappointed they had yet to encounter much in the way of foes so far.

_**Thump!**_

A javelin embedded itself slightly ahead of Geoffrey's mount, which maneuvered around the obstacle with ease. The Crimean general's eyes were immediately scanning the sky.

_**Shint!**_

Titania flinched as another earthbound projectile fell upon their group, this time skimming her shoulder guard, the smooth, curved armor doing its job of deflecting the lobbed spear's blade.

Rolf, who had been holding on to the deputy commander of the Greil Mercenaries, released his grip and pulled his bow from his back. Notching an arrow, he looked skyward, and after a moment of searching located the target that had attempted to strike them from above.

'Gotta concentrate,' frowned the youngest member of the army. Closing one eye, he lined up his target and drew the bow into primed position.

'Don't let your surroundings distract you. It's just you and the target. Make sure you do it all in one swift motion. Notch, prime, fire. The longer you hold it, the more strain you put on yourself and the more unsteady your aim becomes.'

The words of his mentor rang in his ears as he lined the shot up. Loosing the projectile, he watched it sail skywards, impacting the underside of a wyvern a moment later. The beast gave a sudden jerk, clearly not expecting the pain that had visited upon it. Its unfortunate rider hadn't anticipated the move and found himself thrown from his airborne steed.

Rolf opted not to watch as the man fell to his demise, instead burying his face in the back of Titania's armored cuirass. Enemy or not, he was still uncomfortable with the idea of taking a human life, even as far as they were into their campaign. He would do it, but only because it was necessary, not because he enjoyed it.

Boyd gave a low whistle in appreciation of the shot. "Not bad, short stuff. Looks like you _do _know how to use that thing after all."

The young archer immediately turned his gaze on his brother. "More than you do!" he retorted, sticking his tongue out to emphasize his superiority.

Boyd laughed good-naturedly, just happy to be able to get under his brother's skin and get him on a different train of thought. He knew his youngest brother cared nothing for violence, let alone killing.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have enemies closing in on us," called back Geoffrey, indicating the mounted charge coming their way from the barricade up ahead.

Indeed, a number of Cavaliers and Paladins had been dispatched to intercept them and forestall their advance.

A ball of searing flame flew from behind the Crimean soldier and slammed into one unfortunate Daein, resulting in both rider and steed igniting in a blazing inferno. Apparently Calill had opted for a pre-emptive strike.

As they neared their adversaries, Geoffrey chanced a glance over his shoulder at his passenger. The Sage caught his eye. "Something you want to ask hun?" she inquired.

"Do you know how to handle the reins of a horse?" he asked.

He could practically feel the blonde caster rolling her eyes at him. "Please. As a member of the upper class and sophisticate, I should think so."

The aquamarine-haired Paladin retrieved his Brave Lance from his back, bringing it to bear.

"Why do you ask?" inquired the delicate caster, arching an eyebrow for emphasis, even if the target of her query couldn't see the action.

The Daein troops would be on them within the next moment. Holding his lance with one hand, he passed the reins of his mount back to his passenger. "Please take over from here."

No sooner than she had taken hold, did Geoffrey leap from his steed to skewer an opposing rider with an airborne thrust of his lance, dismounting the adversary in the process. As soon as his feet touched down, the Crimean soldier ripped his weapon from the fresh corpse and spun around to face the charging forces before slamming the head of the weapon into the ground, the spear angled to the left side of the path.

One horse found itself unable to dodge the manmade obstruction, its leg catching the shaft of the weapon and causing it to trip, sending steed and rider tumbling end over end down the mountain path.

Pulling his weapon free from the earth, Castle Delbray's former commanding officer ducked underneath the strike of a lance aimed for his chest and retaliated with a blow from the blunt end of his armament, dismounting the passing rider. Giving the downed rider no chance to recover, he spun his weapon around and slammed the bladed end through the man's chest. Chancing a glance, he looked to see how his allies were fairing.

One rider had the misfortune of attempting to strike at the second in command of the Greil mercenaries. Titania made short work of such foolish notions, her Silver Axe tearing into the armored rider as the two passed one another. The man slammed into the ground _hard_, his steed continuing on without him. Bracing himself with one arm, he made an effort to get back to his feet. This promptly ended when Titania's passenger put an arrow in the man's back.

"Excellent shot Rolf," noted the Paladin.

The youngest member of the Greil mercenaries smiled at the praise. He was glad to be able to prove that he could pull his weight and contribute just as much as any other member of the squad. Reaching into the quiver on his back, he drew and notched another arrow, ready to keep fighting.

He spied his brother, having leapt from Oscar's horse about the same time Geoffrey had dismounted his own, caught in between two Cavaliers who were circling the mountless Warrior.

Boyd kept his face neutral as he felt a lance glance off his shoulder pauldron. Two on one wasn't normally a preferential fighting ratio, let alone when your opponents are riding mounts. For the time being he could only attempt to strike at his opponents when one wandered too close, but that was far from often thanks to the reach of the weapons they wielded.

'I need to even this up,' he frowned, knowing that it would only take a lucky shot from one of them to put him out of commission. Turning his back fully to one of his opponents, he was willing to bet they'd attempt to capitalize on the advantage.

Sure enough he could hear the second soldier snap his steed into a full sprint towards his unprotected back while he did his best to fend off the Daein in front of him.

Waiting until the last moment possible, Boyd spun around and dropped to his back, swinging his axe up in the process in a two handed grip. The weapon embedded itself deep in the charging steed's chest. A bit too deep, unfortunately, as the green haired combatant found the weapon ripped from his hands as the horse continued forward, collapsing into the dirt and flinging its rider off in the process.

He had no time to rest when the first Cavalier appeared over him, urging his mount to stomp the weaponless fighter. The equine reared back and slammed its hooves into the spot Boyd had once occupied, the middle brother having only barely rolled out of the way. Scrambling back to his feet he dodged a close range stab of the rider's spear. He prepared another attack on the defenseless man.

_**Thwip!**_

"Gah!"

The Daein soldier dropped his weapon in shock and pain when an arrow embedded itself in his dominant arm. Not one to waste an opportunity, Boyd grabbed the rider by his leg and forcefully removed him from his mount. Being a close range fighter who also happened to excel in hand to hand combat, it was child's play to get past the downed soldier's defense and snap his neck.

Not sparing more time than was required, Boyd left the corpse where it lay and retrieved his axe. Glancing at his younger brother, he nodded once and offered a thumbs-up, one which Rolf happily returned, before re-assuming his sniping campaign.

Looking around, he could see the force that had been sent to engage them was mostly decimated. Oscar and Kieran were double teaming one unfortunate Paladin, Geoffrey had taken care of his share, and Calill was enjoying her ability to outmaneuver enemy soldiers and eliminate them at range.

"Heh, I wonder how Ike's side is fairing," he chuckled.

X-x-X-x-X

Jill Fizzart could feel sweat building up on the inside her gloves. She was nervous. Was she ready to do her part in this skirmish? Indeed. But the fact remained that the enemy commander was making his way toward her, weapon drawn and at the ready. He was a blonde haired man riding atop a large ebony wyvern. Black wyverns were rare, and _very _powerful. In fact, in Daein they were reserved exclusively for those in positions of command. They were a symbol of power, and the sight of one coming straight at her was definitely intimidating.

Her own mount crooned, as if trying to reassure her. Rubbing the scales on the creature's neck, the redhead reaffirmed her resolve. "You're right, we can do this."

Urging her wyvern forward, she took up her pole-axe. Hopefully her superior reach would give her the edge needed to defeat her airborne rival. If it came down to her wyvern having to duke it out with the enemy commander's, she knew it might not turn out in her favor.

"Ho, Daein commander. I am Jill Fizzart, and I would have your name before I strike you down," she announced as her opponent came to a stop, his mount pumping its large wings once every few seconds to keep itself aloft.

The blonde snorted derisively. "Fizzart? Hmph, so you're the daughter of that traitorous trash Shiharam hmm?"

The redhead's grip on her weapon tightened slightly, yet she held her tongue.

"Not surprising that you would turn your back on your country as well. It runs in your blood I suppose. No matter. Good riddance to the filth! I am Gromell, general in the Daein army and leader of the defense of this mountain pass as per his majesty's _orders_, not that you would know anything about that," supplied the general, getting in one last barb.

"If you seek to challenge me as an equal then know you will be found sorely lacking. I will clip your wings and laugh as you plummet to your death!" he cackled, urging his steed forward at the same time.

"You speak ill of my father, and of our duty. For that I will cut you down!" roared the Fizzart, her own wyvern surging toward its adversary.

For now she would prod her opponent and test his defenses. Lashing out with a slash from the pole-arm she wielded, Jill found her strike blocked expertly by the general, his own axe moving to intercept it.

She took a moment to analyze the weapon Gromell wielded. It _was_ an axe, that much she was certain of, but it was larger than the standard steel or silver axe. It was no pole-arm however, being only half of the required length. Its handle was a copper color, which shifted into silver for the blade with gold inlay. All in all it looked like a large, slanted letter "T," with a nasty serrated edge hanging down from the front. Stranger still, it looked like there were marks of some kind inscribed in the blade of the weapon. They were numerous, but too small to properly observe while the weapon itself was in motion.

Withdrawing her weapon she pulled back on the reins of her mount, urging the reptilian flyer to circle around her opponent. Gromell's mount followed their move, refusing to present its back to its enemies. With a quick tug to the reins, Jill's mount pumped its leathery wings, propelling itself backwards as ordered.

Gromell followed after it, his beast storming forward with a roar. "Surely you don't seek to run so early into our fight do you?" taunted the general.

She gave him no satisfaction in a response.

The black beast snapped at the Daein defector, hoping to take a bite out of the female rider. Blocking the attack with her pole-axe, Jill's mount took the initiative and struck, clamping down on its adversary's neck.

The larger wyvern seemed to snort in contempt, pulling its head away from the Fizzart and lashing out with its claws, striking the smaller creature across its temple. The attack drew but a small amount of blood, the scales mitigating most of the damage. Gromell's mount however, didn't seem affected by the attack on its being at all, the only sign of the bite being a small section of discolored scales.

Moving his steed in slightly, Gromell struck out at the opposing rider. His attack was blocked easily by the haft of her weapon. This time the two wyverns matched each other's moves, their fore-claws entwining with the other's in a deadly grip, snouts lashing out at each other in an attempt to bite and inflict major injury.

The unfortunate part of wielding a pole-arm class weapon was that while it boasted an impressive reach, it had a minimum effective range, which Gromell had entered. Now the weapon was too unwieldy for Jill to expertly maneuver and attack with. At best, she was able to block strikes from the man's axe with the shaft of her weapon.

That was, until a forceful backhand strike from the blonde's axe caused her weapon to fly from her grip. Leaning back to dodge a follow-up strike, the redhead let loose a high pitched whistle. Her mount, understanding the signal, brought up its rear legs and struck at the exposed underside of Gromell's beast. Said wyvern grunted and quickly freed itself from the grip of Jill's own reptile, putting distance between the two.

'Good thing I brought a variety of weapons to this fight,' thought the Fizzart, retrieving a Steel Axe that was strapped to her beast's saddle-pack.

X-x-X-x-X

"Grr… this isn't going well at all," deduced the soldier Gromell had left in charge of overseeing the ground defense.

The sub-humans and mercenaries were still making their way up the mountain at an alarming rate. The barricade set up at the right path had just fallen. Their mounted units were on the move once more. And the group trudging up the left side was cutting down their men like so much wheat before a thresher.

"At this rate, they'll overtake our topmost defenses in only a few minutes," he growled. Looking overhead he observed the two dueling wyvern riders, his general being one of them. "Please hurry up and finish off that scum sir, we need you down here."

They needed to stall the advance. Siege weapons weren't doing it. Two ballistae and one of the stone throwers had been taken out, all thanks to those damn sub-humans! The two hawks and the remaining cat were moving with impunity and causing no shortage of grief for the artillery operators.

He singled out a nearby pikeman. "You, soldier! Get to the storage tent and retrieve the Light Runes. And be quick about it!"

The man saluted before running for the indicated tent.

The Sniper signaled for the remaining ballista to fire down on the advancing forces.

_**Thud.**_

"What the-?"

The siege operator's question was cut short as the taut drawstring became severed at one end. The piece released its stored up energy in the form of severe whiplash, the rope snapping out and sweeping up two of the ballista crew members, sending them tumbling over the side of the cliff the weapon was perched on.

The two remaining soldiers looked at each other, then their superior officer.

"What the hell just happened?" demanded the Sniper, storming over to investigate.

'Ballista don't just damn well break. Certainly not ones made by Daein!'

"S-Sir…" pointed one of the two still living crew members.

Embedded in the wooden frame of the ballista was a small knife. Reaching over, the officer pried it free from the wood. "A knife? Impossible. The strength and skill needed to make such a throw would be…"

He tossed the weapon aside. It didn't matter. "You two, move your asses over to the stone thrower. Keep it protected at _all _costs. And take as many pot shots as you can at the mercs down bellow," he ordered, indicating the bows both soldiers were equipped with.

"Yes sir!" they acknowledged in tandem.

He watched the two archers depart for their objective before turning back to the supply tent. "Where the hell _is _that fool? He should have been back by now."

Growling in annoyance he stomped his way over to the tent and threw open the flap. The man he had sent earlier was standing over the chest the runes had been stored in, arms supporting him as he leaned over the various items.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" the Sniper demanded, irritation obvious in his tone of voice.

The man in question offered no response. He simply continued leaning over the chest.

Marching over to the subordinate, he grabbed the soldier's shoulder and pulled. The Daein toppled backwards, revealing lifeless eyes and a large bloody smile carved across his throat.

The officer stumbled back, visually disturbed by the realization of what had happened. "W-What the he-"

_**Schlick-**_

A hand over his mouth and a knife through his side quickly quieted the worrying man.

"Be silent," commanded a soft, gravelly voice from behind. "Your time is done."

The knife was withdrawn and then planted into his chest, a clean kill. All went dark for the man.

Volke laid the man down next to his other victim.

Closing the supply chest, the thief turned assassin casually made his way over to a large burlap sack tucked off into a corner of the tent. Opening the container, he took note of dozens of small pouches filled with gold. Pocketing a few, a fee for his services of course, he re-sealed the storage item and slipped out of the tent ready to sow further panic in the camp.

Moving to a separate tent, the assassin paused to the left of the entrance and listened for any motion inside. He could hear the hushed voices of two soldiers, sentries for this tent no doubt. Pulling out one of the bags of coins he had taken just moments ago, he tossed it to the ground with enough force to open the pouch and send its contents spilling, directly to the right of the tent's entrance.

An armored head poked out a second later, wondering what the cause for the sound he'd just heard was. Glancing at the spilled contents he bent over to retrieve the currency. Volke capitalized on the man's mistake, slipping his arm around the man's head and giving it a jerking twist. A satisfying _snap _let him know the soldier wouldn't be moving again.

He allowed the body to hit the ground, alerting the other guard that something was awry. Drawing his dagger, the professional assassin spun once and slammed his dagger into the entrance flap of the tent in a reverse grip. The guard who had been approaching said flap caught the weapon with his neck as it pierced through the canvas flap. He fell a moment later, gurgling as his life blood spilled out, staining the ground of the mountaintop.

Volke peered into the tent, scanning the interior to ensure there were no others lying in wait. The coast clear, he hauled the two deceased combatants in by their legs, leaving them in a pile in the corner.

The first thing he noticed was the sheer size of the tent. There was plenty of open space and only one bed present. It wasn't a barracks, that much was certain. Several large tables were in the center of the room with a desk near the back. There were also a few storage chests. More than likely, this was the enemy commander's tent, hence the armed guards. Moving to the desk, he quickly found he was correct in his assumption, thanks to a set of documents labeled "orders."

Pulling on the first drawer of the desk he found that it stubbornly refused to comply with his wishes. A sigh of mild irritation escaped him, but he was not deterred. Reaching into the sash at his waist, he removed a smaller Stiletto blade. Carefully he inserted the tip into the locking mechanism. A little wriggling, some finagling, and a final application of pressure convinced the lock to see things his way.

Opening the now obedient drawer, the mercenary spied several pieces of enemy intelligence that would more than likely be of interest to the leader of the Greil Mercenaries, as well as that of his laguz allies. Placing the documents safely within his black high-collar coat, he closed the drawer and checked the remaining ones. Each opened without resistance, containing nothing more than blank papers, ink, quills, a whetstone, some vulneraries, and a few scraps of food. Nothing of importance.

With nothing else of interest, he exited the tent and collected the spilled coins he had used as a distraction. No point in wasting good money after all…

X-x-X-x-X

Ike huffed as he continued climbing the mountain path that would link his group with their allies. After the attack from the lone feral one, resistance had been relatively light on his side. There were a few soldiers here and there, but nothing that offered a solid threat.

"It would seem their last ballista is down," noted Soren, his scarlet eyes scanning the mountain ridge for enemy soldiers. "Or perhaps they have run out of ammunition."

The blue haired lord nodded. "Yeah, looks like it. I haven't seen them take any shots recently."

'For all intents and purposes it should be a straight shot to the top now,' he deduced.

A screech from above drew the group's attention. Two hawks quickly descended upon gathered beorc, transforming with twin flashes of light to reveal the humanoid forms of Janaff and Ulki.

The two Phoenicis avians dropped to the ground, giving their tired wings a chance to rest. Janaff's breathing was slightly heavy but he was otherwise no worse for wear. With Ulki it was more difficult to tell. The stoic bird kept his emotions and expressions in check, leaving very little to draw information from. The only indication he might have been tired was the accumulated sweat on his brow.

"Report," ordered the tactician of the group.

"Sheesh, hold on a second," groaned the older of the two fliers. "At least give me a chance to catch my breath."

Ike swore he heard Shinon mutter something that sounded like "useless featherhead."

Ulki chose to speak in his partner's place. "The camp is in disarray. Their siege weapons are down and the command chain is falling apart."

"Who took out the other stone thrower?" inquired Mist, keeping focused on the path ahead.

"Ranulf," supplied Janaff, able to speak now thanks to his moment of rest. "He and Volke are really causing a stir up there."

Soren rubbed his chin in thought, mentally going over map he had drawn up and presented before the battle. "All that should be left now are a few stragglers and their commander. Orders, Ike?"

They were nearing the top of the path that would intersect with their allies. The avenger could see them in the distance, set in a defensive pattern overlooking both paths leading to their position.

"Largo, you hold back here and watch for any soldiers we might have missed. The last thing we need is a group of enemies at our backs. We'll send Calill back to assist you."

The berserker nodded and remained behind while the rest continued to advance.

"Mist, you move ahead and see if any of them need healing. We'll be right behind you."

She urged her steed into a gallop as it took off ahead of her group to meet up with the others.

"Lethe, are you good to transform again?" he asked, looking his female companion over.

"Of course," she said. "Just tell me where you need me, beorc."

"Head in to the camp and meet up with Ranulf. I'd rather not have him there on his own. Volke is probably sticking to the shadows and striking where he can instead of fighting out in the open."

A brief glow of light shrouded the laguz from view. It dissipated a moment later and her animal form took off to meet up with her fellow Gallian.

"Soren and Shinon, you two are with me until we reach the camp. I'll break off with the others and head into the main camp. You two try and hit the enemy commander from range if you can. Janaff, Ulki, you two can either head back to our camp or you can stick with us. Just keep behind us if you plan to stick around. Don't needlessly endanger yourselves," ordered the son of Gawain.

"I think I'll stick around," said the eyes of the Hawk King. "Just give me a minute or so to rest a bit and I'll be back in the air in no time."

Another minute of steady ascent put Ike's group with their allies. He could see that Mist was busy tending to an injury on Boyd's left arm, much to the fellow mercenary's chagrin. He claimed that it "wasn't that bad" and didn't require treatment.

The avenger took note of Shinon's wandering eyes. They were scanning the mounted group, as if looking for something. Wait-

"Where's Rolf?" asked the redhead, looking to Titania. After all, he had been with her at the start of the charge.

Oscar opted to speak in her stead. "He remained behind a short ways. He's getting in position for our strike."

The older mercenary didn't quite understand the significance behind the statement, but apparently Ike did, as noted by his nod.

"Is everyone here ready to take the main camp?" inquired the blue haired lord, looking at the assembled combatants. There were no objections, so he continued on. "I want the cavalry up front. Get in there hard and fast, and head for the back of the camp. I don't want any of their troops making a run for it and possibly alerting more Daeins ahead that we've taken the pass. The rest of us will sweep in behind you and clear the interior of the camp."

The gathered persons all understood what needed to be done.

"All right, let's move out!"

They commenced with their charge, though something felt off to Shinon…

X-x-X-x-X

Jill frowned in annoyance as her steed once more attempted to grapple with Gromell's. It was clear the larger beast possessed the advantage in terms of strength. Wyvern to wyvern combat was ugly, there was no sugar coating it. Without the use of pole-arms or ranged weapons, it wasn't rider versus rider so much as it was steed versus steed. It became a slugfest. The basic idea was to eliminate the rider first, then deal with the mount. But without the necessary reach, it was impossible to take out the other rider without having to get in so closer. Then you were left vulnerable to attacks from the opposing wyvern itself.

So here she found herself locking axe blades with Gromell while their wyverns attempted to tear and gouge each other in whatever manner possible while at the same time keeping themselves airborne.

"Give up and accept your death!" cackled the blonde, pushing down on the back of his axe with his free hand for more leverage. "You stand no chance against one of Daein's elite generals! My wyvern will tear your winged lizard asunder!"

The young Fizzart growled in agitation, pushing back for all she was worth against her enemy's weapon. She was losing the contest of strength slowly but steadily.

'Damn it… I need to break this stalemate or I'm done for,' groaned the redhead internally. Her only hope for that was for her mount to break its deadlock with Gromell's, and that didn't appear to be happening any time soon. Barring that, outside intervention would be welcome.

She almost jumped in surprise when a javelin flew past the general's shoulder, missing only by inches. A roar alerted her to her ally's presence.

"Damn, looks like I missed. Lousy depth perception…" mumbled Haar as he readied another throwing spear.

Gromell growled in irritation as he broke off from Jill to assess the new threat. Wait… he recognized that man!

"Haar!" he cried. "You bumbling, lethargic cretin… so you've also turned your back on Daein have you? So be it! I'll deal with you once I've finished with _this _turncoat."

He dove once more at Jill, who by this point had replaced her Steel Axe with a different one, this one a deep blood red with a serrated edge. She urged her mount forward, readying herself to end the general.

Haar launched his remaining javelin at the enemy commander's back, hoping to take him by surprise. The man's wyvern had other plans, deflecting the projectile with a bat of its tail.

"Well so much for that," groused the cycloptic flier. He drew his own weapon, a Tomahawk.

Jill pulled the reins of her beast sharply to the right just as the enemy was upon her. Her wyvern banked hard to the side, letting the opposing beast dive past them. The Fizzart progeny used the opportunity to slash at the underbelly of the pseudo-dragon. It retaliated in kind by using its rear claws to strike at her armored back.

She grunted as the impact jostled her, but was otherwise fine. Strange… the beast hadn't let out a cry of pain. And her weapon had no blood on it. How…?

"A Dragon Axe? How clever of you, girl! Sadly, such a weapon will have no effect on _my_ wyvern!" taunted Gromell as he pulled his beast around to make another pass. He pointed to the black band that was fastened around his creature's throat. In the middle it bore a large ruby gem of some kind. At present it was glowing eerily, the color standing out against the black scales of the beast.

"All black wyverns in Daein are given a Full Guard to bolster their defenses against their natural weaknesses. Your meager efforts are in vain!"

'A Full Guard amulet?' pondered the redhead. 'Damn… as long as that defensive magic is in place I won't be able to cause substantial damage.'

She readied herself as her foe once more charged her. The dark wyvern roared before colliding with the smaller beast, its claws lashing out to strike both rider and mount. Jill slammed her axe into Gromell's once more, sparks flying as the metal weapons clashed once more.

Yet the blonde general wasn't grinning this time. Now he appeared focused on the task at hand. Perhaps Haar's appearance had made the flier begin to worry? After all, he was now at a numerical disadvantage.

Speaking of the one-eyed wyvern lord, his own mount slammed into the Daein reptile, its size easily comparable to the other. Gromell was forced to break off from Jill, bringing his mount around to deal with the new threat.

The Daein general's mount was greeted with a slap to the head from the tail of Haar's wyvern, its head snapping back from the force of the attack. It roared in defiance, charging the opposing beast.

Haar's mount snorted in obvious disinterest. The creature before it was young and overconfident. It would be shown the error of its thinking, believing itself to be on the same level as he. Striking out with its talons, it seized the opposite creature by its claws and pumped its wings once, pulling backwards and bodily throwing the younger wyvern over its shoulder, sending the reptile and rider flipping end over end through the air.

Gromell's wyvern righted itself after a few flips, its head shaking once, twice, to stop the world from spinning. It roared in rage, hoping to charge its foe once more. It would regret not taking it so seriously…

A tug on its reins stopped the draconic being from taking action. "Not yet," mumbled Gromell. "We need to remove the weaker link. The redhead, get in close to her. I'll handle the rest," he ordered, a devious smile coming to his lips as his grip on his axe tightened.

Once more the beast roared, a challenge being issued to the other two wyverns in the vicinity. Jill's mount answered with a cry of its own. Haar's however, couldn't be bothered. It rolled its serpentine eyes, unimpressed.

Gromell and his mount charged once more, heading straight for Haar's beast. The one-eyed soldier frowned as he watched the man approach. Such a simple attack couldn't be all that he was going for. It was too… predictable. This man wouldn't have been given such a position of power if he were only politically connected. It was clear he possessed combat prowess.

'So then why…?'

The younger wyvern dove below Haar's at the last moment before banking towards Jill. Gromell drew his weapon back, a maniacal grin on his lips as his axe began… glowing? No, sparking!

"Jill, wait!" cried the older defector.

The Fizzart youth could only frown questioningly as her axe collided with her enemy's. Any chance to voice a question was gone when the runes of the blonde general's weapon ignited a fearsome, blinding blue. Electricity poured from the axe into Jill's own weapon.

White hot pain erupted in the redhead's being. Her body felt as though it were on fire. All other sound had been drowned out by a terrible, deafening noise, a high pitched whine that pierced her very skull. Everything grew white, blindingly so, before abruptly going dark. Then she knew no more.

Haar watched in horror as both Jill and her mount cried out in pain. He had immediately moved to pursue Gromell when the man had bypassed him, but he and his warning proved to be far too late. The Fizzart's scream tore at his very being. Her wyvern convulsed and bucked, its natural weakness wrecking havoc with its body. Then it simply ceased. It was as if the hand of the Goddess had ever so slightly pushed the wyvern back, its body leaning backwards at so shallow an angle. The beast listed to the side…

…then it plummeted, taking its unconscious rider with it.

"_JILL!"_

He pulled the reins tight and snapped his beast into a dive. It needed no prodding, seeing its ally falling. His desperation only grew when the other rider was dislodged from her beast, each body falling in a different direction.

They had fallen half way to the mountain top when Jill's mount returned to the waking world, shaking its head once to clear its vision. The pseudo dragon snapped its wings out a pumped hard several times to right itself. But it soon realized something was wrong… The weight on its back was lacking. Where was its rider? It looked around, spotting its mistress as she continued to fall. It had lost too much ground. There was no way it would save her in time.

The beast let out a low croon for the impending loss of its rider. Then that mournful, pitiful sound turned into something else… a fierce roar of anger. It craned its neck skywards, towards the other wyvern. The dark one that had hurt its mistress.

"Faster," Haar urged. "Faster Heath! Now isn't the time to be lazy!"

His wyvern roared in response, being _quite _aware of how critical their time was. The black drake had drawn its wings in and was diving for all it was worth, achieving speeds that disagreed with the size of the beast. It could feel its bones thrumming in protest, the sheer amount of force being exerted on them almost too much for the mighty wyvern to bear. But they were nearing their goal.

A blast of electricity soared past them, dissipating a short distance later with nothing to conduct it. The Daein deserter chanced a glance over his shoulder, his lone eye spotting Gromell not far behind.

"Do not turn your back to me, traitor! Or else you will end up like that Fizzart trash!" he taunted, axe charging for another strike.

"Ignore him!" Haar called to his mount. "You _keep_ heading for her. You don't stop until we get her, no matter what. You understand?" he ordered, narrowing his eye at the back of his mount's head.

The aged wyvern grunted in response, not needing any instruction on the matter. It grimaced internally however. Its old bones weren't going to be the same after this. Not for a while anyway. Even worse, it could hear the other beorc's mount getting closer. They were going to take a hit, there was no avoiding that.

"Fine," growled Gromell. "If you won't face me then I'll take away the reason for your fruitless flight!"

He straightened his arm bearing the Bolt Axe, switching targets from Haar and his beast to the focus of their efforts, the still falling redhead. "In the name of our king, die traitor!" he cried.

A shriek of pure, raw, _anger _answered his cry. A shadow over his form was all the warning Gromell received before a jade wyvern slammed into both he and his mount, _hard. _It had literally landed upon its target from above, immediately setting to work. Its front talons gripped the larger wyvern's neck, tearing where it could. Its rear claws dug into the hind quarters of the black beast. Jill's mount also eyed the opposing rider, its long neck arcing so it could catch the surprised general in its maw. Long, sharpened fangs clanged against the dark chest plate of the general as it tried to end the man.

Several of the deadly fangs had found purchase against the Daein's armor, digging into flesh. Yet he did not cry out in pain. The blonde general merely grimaced. "Get off of me you foul lizard!" he roared, igniting his axe once more and slamming it against the reptile's jaw. The effect was immediate. It screeched in agony and released both mount and rider, toppling through the air as it tried to shake off the effect of the electricity.

That was all the time Haar had needed.

He had managed to maneuver his steed under Jill, the redhead still unaware of the world around her. "Ease up, Heath!" he called, stowing his axe in his saddlebag. Holding his arms out he gently caught the unconscious Fizzart bridal style, while simultaneously releasing the breath he had been holding. Drawing the young woman close to him, he kicked his beast lightly in the side with the heel of his boot. It knew that cue. Arcing up from its descent it pumped its wings once, twice, and was now in a safe glide.

"Don't ever do that again, Jill," he said to the unconscious woman.

'Your father would never forgive me if something happened to you. I'd like to be able to face Captain Shiharam in the next life with some pride.'

"DIE SCUM! You will not escape me!"

The Daein defector felt his lone eye widen in surprise. Out of the corner of his vision he could see Gromell, bloodied but still very much alive, mere feet from them in a dive, axe raised for a killing blow.

'There's no dodging this,' frowned the cyclops as he looked down at his charge. He made up his mind. Pulling Jill closer to himself he hunched over her and shielded her with his body.

A sickening crunch echoed through the air a moment later.

X-x-X-x-X

Rolf stood on the ledge he had selected for a waiting position. It was a small outcropping of rock that hung off the side of the mountain. It gave him cover from the enemy general above, who hopefully wouldn't spot him as he set up. Once his brothers were in position they would be ready to take down the enemy leader.

The signal had been discussed between them. Oscar would be the one to order it, meaning he had to be ready to respond at a moment's notice. In the meantime, the younger mercenary looked around to see what he could find in the immediate area. He opted not to wander too close to the ledge, lest rock crumble away and he with it. He could see the mountain paths they had traversed down below, and how they met up about three quarters of the way up the mountain.

A roar from above caused him to tense. Looking skyward he spotted the enemy general's mount crying out in victory, proud form displayed against the blue sky. The other wyvern, _theirs_, was retreating from the battle, heading back to the mercenary camp. He could feel his gut clench uncomfortably. 'Did we lose somebody…?' he pondered.

A set of other roars caught his attention. He turned his head in the opposite direction, to the east. He felt his stomach drop. Enemy reinforcements, and wyverns at that…

He brought his bow up while at the same time notching an arrow. Some of them had spotted him.

X-x-X-x-X

"Enemy reinforcements!"

Ike's head snapped around at Janaff's call. "Numbers?" he inquired.

The avian's eyes were narrowed, off towards a few black dots in the distance. "Eight wyverns. Five are heading this way. Three are going towards… something else down the side of the mountain."

Ulki's ears twitched a moment, seeking any additional information to offer their commander. "Whoever they are after has a bow. They just pulled back on the string."

The mercenary leader nodded. "Okay. Well we knew reinforcements were a possibility. We'll catch the bulk of them here. Soren, we'll have to rely heavily on you and Shin- Shinon! Where are you going?"

The redhead was all ready running out of the camp at full tilt towards where the other three wyverns were heading. "Shove it kid! I've got something else to take care of!" he called back, uncaring of what the other's thought about his declaration.

Ike could feel his ire rising, but did not give in to it. Instead he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Soren, it looks like you'll be in charge of dealing with the new aerial threat. The rest of us will provide what cover we can."

He turned to the two fliers still with them. "Janaff, Ulki, follow Shinon. Keep him from doing something stup-"

A screech from above stopped him mid-sentence. Eyes darting skyward, he beheld a sight he had hoped to avoid. "Damn, belay that! Run interference on that general immediately!"

The two Phoenicis natives acknowledged the order, taking to the air with a running start.

Mist followed Ike's line of sight, her breath leaving her in a shocked gasp. Their ally was injured, possibly worse. Wyvern riders didn't simply _retreat. _They were some of the toughest air combatants around.

Pushing away the concern she felt for her airborne friends, she watched her brother carefully. She understood his hesitation to reprimand Shinon. He was going after Rolf. 'Goddess knows what it might do to Oscar and Boyd if something ever happened to Rolf.'

Internally Ike sighed, both at the situation in the air and the development in progress involving the youngest of the "Three Brothers."

'I knew sending Rolf out there alone was a bad idea.'

Yet the younger mercenary had sworn that no enemies would spot him. He'd evade any fliers and await the signal for him to attack. Simple, clean, and quick, is what he had been told.

He was confident though, that Shinon would let no harm come to the younger archer. He wasn't blind. He'd seen the interaction between Rolf and the redhead that had drawn the ex-Greil mercenary back into the fold. Others wondered where Rolf had learned to pick up the skill of the bow so quickly, but Ike had a fair idea. It was no surprise really. The older mercenary had taken a shine to the youngest of the three brothers. 'I'll have a talk with him later.'

He could see the disapproving look in Soren's eyes, obviously believing he should have disciplined the Sniper for his insubordination. He shook his head towards the caster, letting him know to drop the issue. In return his friend let out a huff of annoyance. But the matter was done with, for now anyway.

X-x-X-x-X

He could feel his palms beginning to sweat. But he wouldn't give in to the pressure he felt building up in the pit of his stomach. 'Relax. Ignore everything but your target. One swift motion. No hesitation.'

The words of his mentor echoed in his ears as he released his first arrow.

The projectile flew straight and true, striking the rider of the middle wyvern heading his way. The man clutched the offending item protruding from him, as if to will the injury away. A second arrow joined the first, this one striking the man in the open area of his helmet. He jerked and fell to the side, tumbling from his beast.

In a single motion he reached back and pulled another arrow from the quiver tucked against the small of his back, knocked it back, and released again. This one struck another soldier in the shoulder. After the first man fell they had gotten it into their heads to split up and attack from separate directions. It wouldn't be enough to save them from the keen eye of the sniper in training.

_**THWIP!**_

The next projectile failed to make contact with an opponent. He would have to compensate for their movements and lead them. Was it him or were his nerves starting to get worse?

'They're getting awfully close…' noted the archer in his mind.

He fired again. This one struck a wyvern in its neck. It didn't go down, instead prodded on by its rider, pain evident on its reptilian features. Another arrow put a hole in one of the creature's leathery wings. Rolf released a breath of relief as he watched the beast wobble in the air, its balance gone with only one working wing. It rapidly lost altitude, going into an uncontrolled spiral toward its doom, carrying the unfortunate passenger with it. That left two.

They were nearly upon him now…

'I need to get some distance between us,' thought the bowman, looking for anything that might serve to obstruct their path to him. He took one step back and promptly stopped.

'No. I won't run. Not anymore. Shinon wouldn't run. He'd stand and take them down.'

He returned his bow to its firing position once more with purpose, his features set with determination.

'_If I'm going to train you then you'll need to grow up Rolf. You'll be a trained marksman, a professional. There's no room for tears or uncertainty in this line of work. Hesitating could mean the difference between life and death. You understand?'_

He remembered the words of his mentor from when he had first begged the elder bow wielder to train him. He had nearly been in tears when the man had refused to teach him at first. But after Shinon gave his lecture and asked if he understood what it meant to undergo the training, he had nodded, promising that he would take the redhead's words to heart and uphold them.

The jade haired archer drew an arrow from his rapidly diminishing supply and notched it. 'One swift motion, no hesitation,' he chanted in his head, ignoring the tension that was trying to break him.

The wyvern that still possessed a rider on its back would be his next target. The Daein soldier in question had pulled out a javelin and was preparing to release the weapon.

'_Nothing fancy Rolf. When you need to dodge, do it quickly and with as little effort as possible. You'll find yourself winded if you run around too much. Just keep it simple and retaliate when you see an opening.'_

The larger weapon came speeding at him a moment later. Without so much as flinching, the youngest Greil Mercenary hopped to the side, keeping his bowstring taught and ready to fire all the while. No sooner than he touched down did he loose his retaliatory strike. There was so little distance between he and his target that there wasn't a chance for the soldier to maneuver his beast away from the attack.

The arrow slammed into the reptile's left eye with a sickening squelch, penetrating so deep that only the feathers were visible. The pseudo dragon seemed to lock up, wings and limbs going rigid, head lulling to one side. With no upward lift to keep it aloft, it plummeted like a rock. To his credit the rider attempted to bail from his mount, leaping for the safety of the ledge that Rolf occupied. Half way to his destination, he was met with a second arrow from the archer, this one piercing his unprotected throat. The armored man fumbled through the air, grasping at the fatal wound. He would not reach the ledge…

Jade eyes widened in shock as the last of the wyverns finally reached him, slamming into the ground in front of him and releasing an ear-splitting roar. The beast snapped at Rolf, its long neck giving it extraordinary reach. He leapt back, dodging the first attack with ease.

A retaliatory arrow was batted away by the wyvern's claw as it reared back, almost appearing to stand on its hind legs. He knew what that meant…

The beast's head moved right so he leapt left. It was a mistake he would regret, the easily telegraphed move being a feint. He was met with a vicious head-butt, the creature's horns tearing into his leather armor. The force of the blow easily winded him and knocked him on his back.

The enraged reptile was on him instantly, jagged teeth coming in to tear the young marksman apart. Thrusting his bow in front of him, he staved off the attack by jamming his steel bow into the creature's open maw, preventing it from closing its mouth. It would not be deterred however…

Rolf had considered himself relatively lucky when compared to the other members of the Greil Mercenaries. He had never been badly injured in combat before. Normally his enemies didn't even get within twenty paces of him, thanks to the assistance of either his brothers or Shinon. The worst he'd ever gotten was a graze from an opposing archer.

The feeling of having razor sharp claws dig into his flesh was _not_ something he was prepared for. He screamed… _loud. _Goddess… the pain was excruciating!

The wyvern would not be denied its kill. Though it couldn't _eat _the one that dare injure it, it could still tear it to pieces. It raked its claws across the beorc's chest again, the leather armor failing to hold against the onslaught. It would relish in the pained screams of the whelp.

It shook its head, working its jaw all the while, hoping to displace the metal implement that kept its mouth locked open. With a push from its tongue, the wyvern managed to spit out the steel bow, the item in question now covered in blood from where it had pierced the roof of the reptile's mouth. Growling in agitation it eyed its prey hungrily, bringing its head down to eye level with the archer, who stared back with steely eyes. He was scared, it could smell it. Yet he refused to show it.

It drew its head back to finish off the mousey beorc…

_**THWIP!**_

…only to receive an arrow to the forehead for its trouble.

It roared, more annoyed than injured, as the projectile hadn't penetrated very far into its scaly hide. It looked about for its assailant, yet found nothing, at least until it was too late to dodge.

Another beorc fell upon the wyvern's head, having leapt from the steep path above, a good fifteen feet no doubt. Its sight suddenly failed it as the human, armed with an arrow in each hand, slammed the pointed weapons into its vulnerable eyes, before leaping off.

The wyvern roared again in fury, clawing desperately at its face.

To Rolf, it almost seemed like a strange dream. His vision was fading in and out, but the pain was a constant presence. He had thought himself finished, yet it seemed he was not destined to be eaten. He could make out someone in front of him now, bow in hand, arrows drawn and ready to fly.

Two arrows pierced into the pseudo-dragon's neck simultaneously.

Rolf only knew of one person skilled enough to fire multiple arrows at once. He could feel tears threatening to break free from the corners of his eyes. 'Shinon… he came to save me….'

While the redhead might have put up a cold front around others, he truly did have a soft spot for his young apprentice. He had stuck back with him on multiple occasions to ensure his safety when Oscar and Boyd couldn't.

The elder archer was livid. No, he was beyond that at this point. He knew that Rolf would be in danger when the enemy reinforcements had suddenly shown up. But he had not expected serious harm to come to the boy. He had always been so fortunate in regards to combat, always coming away without major injury. But now, after hearing him scream like that… Rolf was _his _student, _his _responsibility, not that he'd tell anyone else that. Death would be too good for the wretched beast that he now faced. He released another pair of arrows, this time aiming at the creature's chest. It staggered back in response. He fired again, and again, and _again,_ each set of arrows finding a different mark on the beast.

There was no grace or fluidity in this. Kill shots weren't being utilized and he was wasting arrows without caution, but he didn't care in the least. His only interest was in protecting his student and making the wyvern in front of him suffer.

Another dual shot flew from the bow, each arrow tearing through one of the beast's leathery wings. It screeched in rage, toppling backwards. Robbed of its sight as it was it couldn't have known the ledge it stood on came to an abrupt end behind it. The wyvern let out a shriek of surprise as the ground beneath its feet suddenly disappeared.

It flapped its shredded wings but to little effect. It would find no salvation this day. Shinon had made sure of that personally…

The redhead watched with but a small amount of satisfaction as the reptile fell into gravity's embrace, speeding towards its death at the bottom of the mountain. He was breathing hard, lungs burning from his earlier run to get there. Wasting no more time on the fallen creature he turned instead to his pupil.

"Shit Rolf, I thought I taught you better than to take on a group of wyverns on your own," he chastised, kneeling next to the green-haired youth.

His entire body was still wracked with pain, but it didn't stop him from giving a very Shinon-like grin. "But I got most of them…"

The older bow wielder was quickly working to undo the straps of his pupil's leather chest armor, being careful not to agitate the injury he'd sustained. "Dammit kid, this is no time for making jokes. What the hell was I going to tell your brothers if you'd gotten yourself killed?"

Rolf averted his eyes from his mentor, a sliver of shame crawling up his spine. "…I'm sorry. Thought I could get them before they reached me…"

The expert archer let out a "tsk" of annoyance. He hadn't meant to cow the younger bow user, only make him think on the matter so he could choose more wisely in the future. "Look, Rolf. You did well on your own, okay? Don't sit there feeling sorry for yourself. You took down two wyverns on your _own_. I don't think either of your brothers can say that."

He took note of how the younger mercenary's head was beginning to lull. He was about to pass out. Pulling out a vulnerary from the pouch at his hip, he popped the stopper off with his thumb and applied the healing mixture to the boy's injured chest, pouring only enough to coat the wound. He was relieved to see the concoction staunch the blood flow.

Moving the vial to Rolf's lips he ordered him to drink the rest, which he complied with easily. It looked as though he would pass out any moment now, no doubt tired from his ordeal.

"Wait!" cried the youth, attempting and failing to sit up. "The plan… have to be on time!"

"Whoa, hold on Rolf. Lay back down dammit. You're in no position to do anything right now."

The boy grunted as he tried again to stand, ignoring his teacher's instructions. "No! I have to… have to get my bow. …waiting for me. Triangle Attack…"

It seemed like he was fading in and out, fighting to cling to consciousness. 'Triangle Attack? Sounds like a name Boyd would think up,' noted Shinon.

He helped to steady Rolf as the stubborn archer staggered over to his discarded, bloody weapon. Picking it up and handing it to the green-haired mercenary, he frowned when he noticed the accompanying quiver was empty. Sighing in exasperation he reached back with on hand and offered an arrow from his own stock.

Rolf accepted the projectile with a nod.

"Make it count," ordered his mentor. "I've only got one left after that."

His earlier rage involving the wyvern was no doubt to blame for his current shortage of the specialized arrows.

Holding his young charge's shoulders to steady him, he looked up for the intended target. Sure enough, the enemy general's black wyvern was still in the air over the camp. It was being hounded by a two pronged attack from their two hawk allies. Obviously the Daein leader was in a rage of sorts, being cut off from his prey and unable to his either of the two avians around him.

X-x-X-x-X

"Hold still you Goddess damned rats with wings!" roared Gromell as he discharged another burst of electricity from his Bolt Axe.

Ulki easily dodged the attack, banking away from the stray magic. Janaff capitalized on the man's distracted nature, raking his talons across the armored beorc's back.

'I was so close… so damned close to finishing that other wretch as well!' he raged internally.

Pulling back on the reins of his mount, he watched as a fireball barely missed both he and his steed. "You'll need to do better than that you Crimean dastards!"

X-x-X-x-X

'That's the signal!'

Rolf, with his elder archer's assistance, managed to square himself enough to hold some semblance of balance. He notched the arrow, wavering slightly as his legs nearly failed him. Drawing back on the string he took aim at the target. He didn't release the arrow so much as the strength in his arm holding the bowstring failed him. He wouldn't even get the chance to watch the shot, for he had already passed out by that point.

Shinon however, _did _watch. The boy's arm had been shaking, his aim would be off. He hadn't drawn back enough, there wouldn't be enough power to get it to the target. He watched the arrow waver in its path, the apex of its flight being reached in only a few seconds. It would not reach its intended target…

X-x-X-x-X

Boyd let out a breath as he released the string on his bow. The arrow would easily tag the enemy's mount. After all, the birds were keeping its attention on them, leaving its back vulnerable.

Out of the corner of his eye he could make out Oscar, across the camp, loosing his own arrow. Now it would be up to Rolf.

One second passed, two…

…

Gromell tried once more to hit either of the targets that were now pestering him. Neither would hold still for him however. They were content with simply making passes by him, hitting him while he was distracted. They weren't even leaving any lasting damage. What were they hoping to accomplish? It was almost as if…

'It's a diversion!'

The realization however, had come far too late. Two arrows ripped into his mount's wings simultaneously. The leathery skin buckled and tore, allowing the cushion of air underneath to escape. His beast roared in pain as its attempts to keep itself aloft only exacerbated the problem, ripping the wound open even more.

'Impossible! The Full Guard should have-!'

His thoughts came to a grinding halt as he looked at his steed's neck. The dark band with the red Full Guard gem was gone…

'But how?! WHEN?!' he cried within his mind. When had they removed the protective charm?

An image of Fizzart's enraged wyvern came to mind, diving down upon he and his mount, tearing at its neck.

Any further action from his mount came to a stop when a third arrow arrived three seconds later, slamming into the underneath of his wyvern's jaw. Without the Full Guard to protect it, it easily penetrated the softer underside scales, going through the mouth and piercing up into its brain. The black beast let out several spasms before its body locked up and plummeted, taking its rider with it.

"No! NO! Damn you Crimean bastards! His majesty will see you suffer for this indiscretion! Your lives are forf-!"

Any further words were cut off as both rider and mount slammed into the ground on the far edge of the camp. It was unlikely the man had survived the fall…

X-x-X-x-X

Indeed the enemy general had been felled. The chain of command, for what little of the troops were left, had utterly failed. It was chaos and pandemonium throughout the camp. Cleaning up the stragglers had been but a simple matter.

'I'm amazed we managed to keep so much of the enemy camp intact,' noted Ike as he walked through his group's new lodging for the evening.

With the mountain pass secured, they had opted to have the army march through and occupy the base of the opposing side of the mountain. In the meantime, Ike and his group of Greil Mercenaries would remain up top and secure/use the enemy camp. The following morning they would quickly descend the rear of the mountain and begin their march again.

He stopped for a moment as he walked by the makeshift medical tent. Drawing the canvas flap back slightly he spied its four occupants. Two were lying in cots, wrapped in bandages. The other two were sitting next to their respective friend, watching over them in silent vigil.

He almost laughed. It was strange to see Shinon care about someone other than himself. Yet even so, the Sniper had carried his young student all the way back to camp. Upon being confronted by Boyd, the redhead merely passed off his load to the middle brother and went on his way. Yet apparently he was concerned enough to come back and check on Rolf.

In the other bed lay the most severely injured member of their group. Haar. The man had taken a devastating blow to his back, between his neck and shoulder. Gromell's axe had cleaved through the dark full plate armor the cycloptic flyer normally wore, biting deep into flesh. It was a miracle the man had managed to survive. For a while it looked as though he wouldn't…

Next to him sat Jill Fizzart, their other wyvern rider. The redhead looked beside herself with worry, even though she had been assured that Haar would recover with enough time. Judging from the look on her face, she was barely holding her composure. She sat ramrod straight in her seat, hands folded together in her lap. Ruby eyes moved to the tent flap, catching sight of her superior officer.

Ike nodded once to the young Fizzart. She averted her eyes, instead looking towards the ground. Embarrassed perhaps? Or was it shame? He felt he had bothered her enough, and instead opted to leave her to her thoughts. Closing the flap of the tent, the avenger once more continued through the camp.

…

Jill found herself thankful for the commander's understanding. It felt wrong to her, sitting there and watching Haar rest. He was one of the toughest soldiers she knew. A little lazy, yes, but tough. He was perhaps the reason that she was still alive at this point in time today, even before the events of the battle with Gromell. On numerous occasions the man had seen to it that if they were both present on the same battlefield, that she would be transferred to his command and kept close at hand. And she was grateful for it. But now…

'He was hurt because I was careless…'

She sniffed back a few tears that were threatened to overwhelm her as she thought back on the situation.

_-Flashback-_

_Dark. Why was it dark? And why did everything hurt so badly? With a groan Jill opened her eyes, immediately coming to regret her decision. Burning sunlight greeted her, causing her to wince._

'_What happened? I was fighting the enemy general, and then…'_

_Realization dawned on her. She'd been hit with an electrical attack, incapacitating her and her wyvern. Then she'd passed out. How had she managed to stay atop her mount?_

_It was then that she seemed to notice she wasn't atop her own mount. She was laying out, held by something. She could hear two distinctly different sets of wingbeats. That meant there were two wyverns. Judging from the happy crooning coming from her left, her wyvern was nearby and pleased to see her._

_Opening her eyes slightly, squinting so that the light was not as harsh, she could make out a shadow over her, as if someone were leaning over her person. Was it…?_

"_Captain Haar," she rasped, finding her voice unsteady and dry._

_The man made no move to acknowledge her._

_Using a hand to shield her face from the sun, she could make out the individual above her a little better. She almost immediately wished she hadn't. Haar was indeed the man holding her in place. But he wasn't leaning over her, he was _slumped _over in the saddle, his head lulled forward. His one good eye was closed. From his mouth, a trail of red liquid seeped forth, covering the front of his armor. He was injured._

"_C-Captain…?" she tried again, her voice quiet._

_From below her, Heath rumbled out a soft growl. The wyvern knew its master had sustained serious injury._

"_Captain? …Haar? Please answer me," she pleaded. Still she received no answer._

_With no amount of ease, the redhead moved herself so that she was sitting up. Ever so carefully she adjusted her position so that she was facing her companion. Wrapping her arms around the male, she pulled him to her, praying that the worst had not befallen the man. _

_Her breath left her when her hand found an unnatural groove in the man's armor. It was rough and jagged, almost as if it had been sundered. She traced the groove with her gauntlet covered hand. Pulling the limb away she found it covered in blood._

_That was enough. What little discipline she possessed at the moment snapped like a twig in a gale. She clutched the wounded soldier tightly, letting her tears run free. A wail escaped her. One of her best friends had perhaps given his life to save her. So distraught was she that she failed to notice his ragged breathing. It would only be later when they made it back to camp that she would discover her savior still yet had some time…_

_-End Flashback-_

There were other things she could be doing at the moment, certainly, but they weren't worth her attention. Not as far as she was concerned. The man in front of her was her primary focus, and it would remain that way until he woke up, _if _he woke up. She owed him at least that much.

The other occupant of the tent was awake, as was evidenced by the conversation that was going on. It was quiet, so as not to disturb the sleeping Haar.

"You're off duty for the next few days until you recover. So take it easy will you?"

Rolf sighed, but relented in his pursuit of getting out of the medical tent.

"Relax, I already told you, your brothers are fine. They're busy doing other things around the camp. They'll probably be by later," reassured the redhead Sniper. The bow wielder made to leave but was stopped by a question from his pupil.

"…Did I get him?"

The man halted in his progress toward the tent flap, going stock still. "Yeah, yeah you did Rolf. You should be proud."

Once more he moved to leave, but again the young man in the bed behind him spoke up. "Hey Shinon, did you lose your last arrow?"

The redhead looked over his shoulder at the empty quiver he was carrying. "Huh, I didn't notice. Must've gotten careless on the way back to camp and dropped it by mistake. Oh well."

Giving the jade-haired archer no other chance to speak, he ducked out the tent flap, offering a quiet "Rest up and get well soon shrimp," as he did so.

-End Chapter-

* * *

Draknal: Whew… that was a _lot _of work. Let me say, it hasn't been easy finding time to write more of this story. I still have so many ideas floating around in my head. There was more I wanted to stuff into this chapter, but I felt this was too much as it was. Any more and it'd be a chore to read through. But with this chapter out, I feel a lot better now. I seriously hope you all enjoy the read, and please leave a review to let me know how I'm doing and whether the chapter lived up to your expectations.

Anywho, thanks for reading! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Consider this chapter my gift to you. And a review from you would be a nice gift to _me!_ Cheers!


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